Night of the Butterflies
by The Author's Mighty Pen
Summary: Artist and illustrator John Bates is trying to paint an elusive butterfly. He expects it to be very difficult but he does not expect it to be more difficult to woo Anna Smith
1. Downton Weir

He worked carefully down the steps and grabbed his bags from the cart they rolled next to the small plane. Managing the bags to one hand, he plucked his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and put them on before following the trail of holidayers and other tourists working into the small airport. They all chattered loudly as they exchanged details or met their friends. One particularly obnoxious group seemed already too drunk to even be walking as they screamed their fraternity mantra to one another out the doors.

"John!" He smiled as a man waved him down, the lopsided sign in his hand immediately tossed to the side so the men could embrace. "Glad you made it."

"It's a small island Robert but it's not hard to find."

"It's hard enough that when I first moved Cora and I here she had a map enlarged and printed so she wouldn't get lost explaining it to other people." Robert reached for one of John's bags. "You pack light."

"My supplies are arriving in tomorrow."

"I hope the heat doesn't destroy your oils."

"I planned on acrylics for this project. Easier to work with." John trailed Robert out of the airport and put his bags in the back of the small car before rubbing at his leg.

Robert stopped, "You need something for that?"

"Not anymore, it just twinges when I've been cooped up for too long."

"Well you've only got a short ride in this and then it's up and down the beach until you're too sick of sand in your shoes." Robert took the driver's side and shook his head, "Who would've thought someone would pay you this kind of money to paint some butterfly?"

"Not me and certainly not my ex-wife when she threw her fist through one of my paintings when I told her I was retiring from the firm."

"I think the moment she boiled over was when you said you weren't going into Parliament."

"Well her boyfriend now is MP for Buckinghamshire so I'm sure she's happy with that." John shrugged, "It's all where it needs to be for now."

"Exactly." Robert slapped his hand against the steering wheel. "You're single, you're relatively wealthy, and you're being paid to fulfill your passion. How about that?"

"I'm just glad you didn't immediately try to say there's a topless beach or something to take my mind off it all."

"If you're wondering-"

"I'm not," John raised a hand, "Stop whatever you're about to say and don't ever mention it again."

"You are single."

"And I'm enjoying not having to worry about VDs or condoms or relationships." John opened his hands, "I'm here for business, not pleasure Robert."

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

"Good thing my name's John then, isn't it?"

"Prat."

"Snob." John settled into the seat, "How's Cora liking it here?"

"We're English roses but she loves it."

"I thought she was from New York."

"Cincinnati but I guess the key is American." Robert shuddered, "We hosted her mother and some party she threw for her sixtieth and all those accents just made my teeth grind together."

"I can't imagine a bunch of plus fifties being too horrible."

"Just wait until you find out they all brought little blue pills with them."

"Robert!" John groaned, "Do you want me to vomit all over the inside of your car? Because I will."

"Look, point is," Robert steered through the light traffic toward the beach. "You need to realize that you're going to be up there yourself soon."

"In twenty years."

"Nineteen."

"Semantics."

"And you're dodging the question." Robert pulled to a stop at a sign, turning partway toward John. "I thought, when we were in school, that you wanted kids."

"I do."

"Well?"

"Vera didn't and you shouldn't bring kids into that kind of environment."

"I agree, she was nasty."

John frowned, "Not just that. You shouldn't make kids the subject of resentment and that's all they would've been."

"What about now?"

"No adoption agency in the world's going to let a single man above forty adopt kids. It looks too suspicious and I don't know about you but I don't want anyone looking into me like I'm a pedo or something."

"Hence my invitation for you to check out a topless beach."

"I'm not going to a topless beach to find a baby mama."

"Who said you needed a baby mama?" Robert snorted, "You just need to get laid at this point."

"Thanks."

"Be honest, how long's it been?"

John shifted in his seat, "A few years."

"Right, see, that's what I mean. No wonder you're strung tighter than a violin." Robert pulled the car into a resort, slapping John on the arm. "You need a good few weeks here, a nice holiday, and maybe even a nice shag."

"Now I know why I never took you up on your offer before." John got out of the car, smiling and opening his arms as a dark haired woman approached him. "Hello Cora."

"Robert told me you were coming but I honestly didn't believe we could get John Bates to stay at The Grantham when he was chained to his easel in London." She released him, "But I'm so glad you did. We've got so much for you to try I don't even know where to begin."

"Probably with showing him his room." Another dark haired woman exited the building, flipping through something on the screen of her iPad. "Welcome to the Grantham Mr. Bates."

"Mary." He shook her hand, "I see your degree in hospitality's going to a good cause."

She gave him a sarcastic smile, "It was in business management."

"Still," Robert heaved the boot open, "I guess it was worth the money we spent on it."

"You make it sound like you gave a fortune to my education." Mary tapped something else before waving for a bellboy.

"We could've paid a bit less." Robert muttered to John as the bellboy took John's bags. "Has John's package come?"

"There's a box in his room, delivered this morning." Mary shrugged, "I guess the British postal service is good for something."

"Thank you." John shook Robert's hand, "I'm guessing you've already planned a dinner I can't escape."

"Of course." He winked, "It's a luau."

"I thought that was Hawaiian."

"It is," Cora assured him, "But it's roasted pig over a spit and it's quite the treat."

"Alright." John turned to Mary, "Are you the guide then?"

"You can't be serious." She pointed to the bellboy, "Follow him."

John snorted and followed the bellboy to his room. He tipped the blonde man, who smiled at him, and then walked the spacious room. Two white couches faced a television and a set of slatted doors separated the bedroom with its matching en suite.

Tossing the doors to the patio open he gave an exclamation of surprise at the lap pool and the Jacuzzi accessible by his bedroom and the living room. John leaned on the balcony, looking out at the green and the beach before whistling and turning back inside. His bags went on the bed before he broke open the crate near the breakfast nook and table.

He smiled at the contents, "Hello beautiful."

The easel and paints went under the overhang on the porch and John positioned a chair just where he wanted it. "Time to get to work."

* * *

She waved behind her, pushing the handlebars of her bike forward before swinging her leg over to ride along the road. Dodging runners and the slower tourists, she weaved up the beach at an easy pace. Her hair, the strands escaping her ponytail, fluttered about her face.

As she reached to push some away she saw a man standing in her path. Her hands grabbed the brakes on her handlebars as hard as she could and her wheels skidded over the sandy pavement. In that moment her life flashed before her eyes but she stopped in time to catch herself on her feet in front of the man.

He let out a gasp and a half laugh. "I never thought I'd be killed by a bicycle."

"Bit of a shit way to die isn't it?" She laughed with him, looking at the back of the bike to make sure the contents of the crate had not shifted too much. "Sorry about that. I got distracted and then almost mowed you down."

"It's understandable. I'm standing in the middle of your way." He shrugged, "Sorry about that."

"It's my fault, really." She cringed and then offered her hand, "Accept my apologies?"

"I'd be a right asshole if I didn't." He took her hand, "Would it be too improper to ask your name to go along with the apology?"

"I'm Anna Smith. Part time bike messenger around here." She took her hand back, flexing it to spread the sudden heat there. "And yourself?"

"John Bates, visiting business man I guess."

"You've got that look about you."

"Do I?"

Anna nodded, "I've lived on this island a long time and you can tell when someone's here for business, pleasure, or when they try to make pleasure their business or vice versa."

"Can't imagine that usually ends well."

"Most holidays are a toss up." She nodded at him, "But you don't look like a banker trying to secret funds or an investigator hoping to dig up someone's illicit tryst so what business brings you to the island?"

"Commission actually."

"You're not a prostitute are you?"

He struck a pose, "Why, don't I look the part?"

"You do look like the kind of guy a woman hires as a beard for a family wedding or a funeral." Anna snickered at his smile, "But I doubt you'd come all the way to Downton Weir to make sure some woman didn't feel too lonely on holiday. There are enough local boys and bellhops for that."

"Really?"

"It's a good trade. The unofficial kind where you get benefits and the risks are low."

"You seem awfully informed."

"My friends run one of the better resorts here and they've had their issues with it." Anna shrugged, walking her bike forward, pleased when he kept pace. "So what kind of commission?"

"I'm a painter."

"Like Bob Ross?"

"Not quite as well known but I'm good enough." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I usually illustrate magazines or children's books but there's a decent trade for the work I do with landscapes and murals."

"Someone wants you to paint them this sunset for their foggy, gray skies of somewhere else then?"

"Yes and no." He scratched at his head, "They actually want me to paint a rare butterfly that only lives here."

"Really?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "It's got a particular ultraviolet pattern that only appears during thunderstorms."

"That sounds made up."

"That's part of the reason I'm here to paint it, because so many people think it's not real."

"But you think it is?"

"I've seen the original paintings of it by James Gillespie."

"Who?"

"James Gillespie," John stopped, "You've not heard of him, have you?"

"Can't say I studied art in school."

"What did you study?"

"Weather." Anna pointed behind her, "When I'm not delivering things like a mad woman on this I'm up there tracking weather patterns."

"Meteorology." He made a surprised face, "I would've thought someone like you'd be in front of the camera, not buried at a weather station."

"I get to live on an island instead of a cramped flat in England." She teased, "I guess the toss up is what you make it."

"I guess it is."

"So, if you're here for a thunderstorm, then I should probably tell you that it's typhoon season around here."

"Best time to get illustrative proof that the butterfly exists." John stopped, "And aren't they called hurricanes?"

"In this region, yes." Anna ticked off on her fingers, "Hurricanes in places like the Caribbean, typhoons here and as far north as Japan, monsoons in Thailand, and cyclones off the coast of India."

"I guess your education did you good."

"And it's doing good for others too." Anna smiled, "I get the feeling you didn't study art at Uni."

"How'd you know?"

"Your comment just now, like you weren't living up to an investment."

"I studied law."

"Ever practice it?"

"Enough so that I don't have to make a killing selling murals."

Anna laughed, "The nice way of saying you're rolling in it and now you're investing in your passion hobby."

"I was trying to be polite."

"I appreciate that." Anna pulled at her mobile as it vibrated in her pocket. "Bugger."

"What?"

"I've got a dinner with friends I almost forgot about." Anna swung her leg over her bike and offered her hand, "I hope you enjoy the rest of your working holiday Mr. Bates."

"Thank you, Ms. Smith." He shook her hand firmly, "Would I be too impertinent to ask for your number?"

"I'd be sad if you didn't." She tapped her number into his phone. "Text me and I'll have yours too."

"Will do." He stepped back, "Wouldn't want to get in your way again."

"I'm glad you got in my way the first time."

"Me too."

"I'll talk to you soon Mr. Bates." She pedaled off, calling over her shoulder. "And I wish you luck with your butterfly."


	2. The Noted Artist Gillespie

Anna adjusted her skirt, sandals flapping on the wooden boards as she hurried inside the building. When she saw the thin woman with high cheekbones checking her watch and tapping her foot she huffed. "I'm not that late."

"You remember school?"

"Early is on time, I know." Anna pulled at a falling strap, "Don't start Mary. I had a few rough deliveries."

"How rough and what's a few?" Mary trailed Anna, hands on her shoulders to steer her into the right dining room and away from the other hotel guests.

"There's this old man on the other side of the island who always asks if I want to meet his little friend and at first I was hoping he was talking about a bird or a salamander or something but then-"

Anna stopped, her jaw dropping before she could get it back in place, and then stammering against her teeth so she could get no words out. Standing there, in a white button down with a pair of black trousers that made his height stretch almost to the ceiling, was John Bates. Visiting businessman from the beach John Bates. John Bates who could not possibly be staying in Mary's hotel or attending this dinner.

He turned and his eyes widened to the same size as her distended jaw and he swallowed so hard and fast he choked. The gray-haired man next to him took John's drink, so it could not splash all over the floor, and then grabbed his arms. "Are you alright?"

"Just swallowed too quickly down the wrong pipe is all." John coughed again, as if to clear his throat and turned toward Mary and Anna, "Are you going to introduce me to your other guest Robert?"

"Yes," Robert walked forward, kissing Anna on both cheeks and then stepped back. "This is Anna Smith, friend of the family."

"Technically she's my friend who happens to be like a part of the family."

"I'm not a commodity there's not enough of for everyone, Mary." Anna scowled at her and then extended a hand to John, "Nice to meet you I'm sure Mister?"

"Bates, John Bates." He shook her hand, "And you must be one of Mary's good friends for her to even admit she likes you."

"I've stuck by her the longest so that might count." Anna avoided the swipe from Mary. "But she's really harmless. All bark and no bite as they say."

"I resent that." Mary hissed and John snorted.

"You would." He faced Anna, "Tell me, what makes you lucky enough to be here to celebrate with us."

"Are we celebrating?" Anna took a drink from Robert with a smile, "I thought this was just a family dinner Mary didn't want to endure alone again."

"If you all keep carrying on like this then I'm going somewhere else where they enjoy my company."

"And how far would that have to be again?" John raised an eyebrow over his glass as he tipped it to sip.

Mary glared and set her glass down on the table. "I'll see if dinner is ready."

John winced as she walked away and used the glass in his hand to wave after her. "Is she alright?"

"She will be." Anna sipped at her own glass, "She's not used to people actually firing back at her and its probably reminding her too much of Edith."

"Ah, the second Crawley daughter." John looked over his shoulder to Robert but he was deep in conversation with three women, two of whom had gray hair and one of them was complaining loudly about something. "I always feel a little bad for her because no one ever really talks about her."

"The kind of person people talk well of but forget to actually talk to?" Anna finished her glass and left it on the table by Mary's. "Yes, she's in England managing a newspaper that's making the terrifying transition to online resources."

"How she handling it?"

"She's in her element there." Anna ticked off on her fingers, "It's far away from Mary, it's somewhere she's doing what she loves, and she finally gets to boss people around. Edith's living her dream and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she never comes back."

"And Mary wouldn't mind since they're always at one another's throats." John finished his drink and it joined Anna's glass. "I never understood how siblings could hate one another so much."

"Nor me. My sister and I work together up at the monitoring station and I love it." Anna nodded at him, "What about your siblings?"

"I'm an only child so maybe my assessment wasn't quite fair." John cringed, "I just… I never understood how Robert and Cora let it happen."

"Their daughters were raised by governesses and boarding schools, that's how." Anna shrugged, "I remember them at school and it was a bloody nightmare. Screeching a each other all the time and sniping these barbs whenever they had the chance. It was enough to make your skin crawl."

"People grow up."

"Or grow bitter." Anna pointed to a sofa, "Mind if we take a load off?"

"Please."

They sat on one of the sofas and Anna rubbed her hands together, suddenly a little less comfortable now that she could not shift her weight from foot to foot. "So, Mr. Bates, how do you know the Crawleys?"

"I handled the estate matter for Robert when I was a lawyer."

"You worked family law?"

"I was contracts and business law mostly but I handled some wills and titles, yes. In particular I did it as a favor to Robert when his cousin, God rest his soul, decided he wanted to try and take Robert's family home out from under them."

"What happened?"

"I was winning the case in Robert's favor and then it turned out to be unnecessary when his cousin went out for a pleasure cruise he wasn't trained to take and drown himself off the Isle of Man." John shuddered, "I'm never going boating."

"Difficult to avoid on an island, Mr. Bates." Anna laughed, "But that's horrible about his cousin."

"Which part?"

"Both, I guess." Anna pointed to herself, "I love boating, me, but I don't think I love it enough to try and steal someone else's money to do more of it."

"I don't think he was a sailor. He was just greedy." John pointed across the room to a woman holding so tightly to a cane her knuckles were white and her face contorted in reddish fury at whatever the gray-haired woman next to her was saying. "Mrs. Violet Crawley once confided in a sworn statement that he reminded her too much of his mother, her sister-in-law, and a more horrible woman never drew breath."

"Sounds awful."

"Sounds like entitled rich people but they were my bread and butter for a long time." John sighed, "Makes me almost embarrassed to say it now."

"Why did you leave your ridiculously lucrative job to chase your passion?" Anna adjusted sideways on the sofa, pulling her feet up to put her elbow on the back of the sofa and give her head a place to rest. "It's not something one does without cause in my experience."

"Met a lot of lawyers turned artists have you?"

Anna shrugged, "Met a lot of disgruntled holiday goers wishing they had the easy island life."

John snorted, "I don't want the island life. I'm not up for having everything shipped in to me at gross rates."

"Except the fruit, the pork, and the water."

"Except those," John wagged his finger at Anna before tipping his head back into the cushions and using his hands to gesticulate as needed. "I left law because I realized the 'fun' of destroying lives or scrimping that last pound for someone wasn't actually fun when I was sober."

"I don't remember seeing the special about drunk lawyers."

"I was high functioning." John dug into his pocket and then flipped her the chip. "Ten years this month."

"But your drink-" She pointed over the back of the sofa toward the table but John shook his head.

"Sparkling apple juice, courtesy of Robert."

"How kind." She put the coin in his hand. "What made you stop, if I may ask?"

"A car accident." He patted his right leg. "If I took off my trousers right now-"

"Scandalous."

John grinned, "I won't unless asked."

"Salacious."

"Anyway," John coughed and Anna bit back her own grin when she caught the slight twitch to his trousers. "If I could take these off right now you'd see carbon fiber and titanium keeping me up on the right side."

"Did you cause the accident?"

"Heavens no," John scoffed, "I was a lot of things but not that stupid. No, it was my wife."

"You're married?"

"Divorced two years." John held up his left hand. "See?"

"On an island like this people slip their rings off all the time so please excuse me if I don't take that as definitive proof."

"I understand." John shrugged, "But Robert'll tell you what you want to know. And more besides since he never liked her."

"Robert Crawley, speak ill of someone?"

"Oh," John chortled, "Cora's even worse. They've got stories to raise the hair on your head."

"Don't need it with the humidity here." Anna flipped her hair, "It's a bloody nightmare to keep this down."

"Then don't."

Anna narrowed her eyes, "Are you flirting with me?"

"Should I not?"

"Oh no," Anna waved her hands, "Please continue, I was rather enjoying it."

"Then I will." John winked, "But, to get back to the story you asked, my wife was driving the car. I was smashed, to be sure, and so was she but she insisted she could drive and we'd already had this hour-long argument about something so I just tossed in the towel and went with it."

"To your everlasting regret?"

John nodded. "There I was, drying out in hospital and then in therapy to get used to my new friend, and I realized drinking wasn't fun and neither was law. I saw my wife for what she was when I was suddenly alone because she didn't like the idea of a cripple for a husband and then she wasn't satisfied just sleeping with people behind my back when I told her I was quitting my job to be an illustrator."

"And thus you were divorced?"

"The less messy version would go about like that, yes." John opened his hands, "So now I illustrate for most of my living and then paint commissions for the rest of it."

"Speaking of commissions," Robert joined them and Anna scooted away from John, suddenly aware of their positions on the sofa. "What's this one about again?"

"It's the Night Butterfly." John sat up and Anna listened for some indication his right leg was some kind of metal. "Well, actually it's a long, complex scientific name but I never bothered to memorize it because it doesn't matter."

"And who wants you to paint a picture of this butterfly?"

"The commissioner is some rich shut in who lives in Scotland."

"Why?" Anna almost covered her mouth when she realized she spoke. "I'm sorry. I'm just curious why someone from Scotland wants a tropical butterfly."

"Well," John shifted on the sofa again to face both Robert and Anna. "He's the descendent of the artist, James Gillespie."

"Who?" Robert frowned, "I don't remember him from any beginning art course I ever took."

"He was an old servant to a bishop in one of the parishes in Scotland. He painted a lovely series of pastorals and religiously iconic moments. I'm a huge fan of his _On the Road to Emmaus_ and _Woman at the Well_ but," John shook his head, "Not the point."

"Yes, I believe it had something to do with a butterfly."

"Well he and the bishop were tasked to travel to the Caribbean to start a parish here and Gillespie took his skills with him." John's face lightened and Anna got caught up in how he seemed so much more animated now. "While on the island, rumored to be this island, he suffered one of the worst storms in recorded history and the oral history of the people. During the storm Gillespie was caught out in the torrent and he claimed, in all of his accounts, that he was guided back to safety by the flapping wings of a butterfly that glowed in the dark."

"Sounds like a wil o' wisp." Anna muttered and John nodded at her.

"Exactly. That's how he described it and no one believed he saw one because he could never find the butterfly again."

"Then what?" Robert leaned forward, completely caught up in the story now.

"Gillespie claimed to see the butterfly one final time when he was on his death bed, sick with a tropical fever." John sat back then, "And no one's seen the butterfly since."

"No one?"

"There've been stories and little myths about it but there's not been any actual proof." John coughed, "That's what the commission's all about. To prove that James Gillespie wasn't delusional and didn't imagine it all."

"You'll have to park yourself out in the jungle during a rain storm to get anything." Anna whistled, "And if you come back with your head still intact after how those branches can bat and blow around I'd be satisfied enough with that."

"I guess that's the price you pay for greatness." John shrugged, "To this day he's the only one have painted one and it sits in the Scottish National Gallery under the title _Tropical Storm Guardian_. It's gorgeous."

"But you believe it exists?" Anna narrowed her eyes and John nodded.

"I do. Or, at least enough to take the commission and come all the way here to paint it."

"If you're all finished," They turned over the sofa to see Mary at the entry, "The pig's done and we can start the luau now."

* * *

John paced the beach, stretching out in the shimmering darkness, and turned when he heard the pad of footsteps on the sand. He smiled, pointing back toward the dining room, "Tired of the food?"

"Tried of the mood." He frowned and she pointed back toward the building. "I'm not getting in the middle of another Crawley Family Screaming Match."

"Seen a few of them?"

"I'm a war-worn veteran." Anna shuddered, walking with him toward the waves. "They're yelling about George and how he's too young for boarding school."

"George?"

"Mary's son and Isobel's grandson." John continued to frown in confusion. "She was the one who kept harping at Mrs. Violet Crawley."

"Oh," John nodded, "What's her stake in the game?"

"George is her grandson and she's convinced that sending him to boarding school is unfair to her since she never sees him, except on holiday, and as an old woman she should have access to the last remains of her son."

"What happened to her son?"

Anna paused, "I'm not sure how much you know about Mary but she's not always been… traditional."

"I remember a story about a rather raucous party when she was fifteen that almost killed the Turkish ambassador's son."

"It was his own damn fault he snorted too much heroin." Anna stopped, waving a hand in the air, "Point is, she and Isobel's son Matthew were very close. They were engaged and living together so I don't know why everyone was so shocked when Mary announced, after Matthew's funeral, she was pregnant with his child."

"How'd Matthew die?"

"Technically a car crash but it was cancer, actually. He'd been in treatment for it but one day he was driving and then he had a stroke at the wheel. Lost control and then…" Anna mimed the car flipping. "Mary was distraught for weeks and wouldn't even touch George for at least a month after he was born."

"That's so hard."

"I know." Anna shook her head, "The way life can grab you in a second and then pop, that's it."

John stopped walking and sat down in the sand, "If life's getting me that quickly I think I'm going to sit down for it."

Anna laughed and took a seat next to him, "You'd make a good islander."

"Would I?"

"Oh yeah," Anna waved a hand at the ocean before them. "Not a care because it's all 'whatever, as the waves go' and all that."

"Sounds relaxing."

"It is." Anna closed her eyes and John could not help but watch her face. "You just breathe with the ocean and then your heartbeat matches the rhythm because it's almost circadian, and you just…"

She sighed and John finally closed his eyes. He breathed with the lap of the ocean against the sand and relaxed his whole body. The thump of the ocean drove him sense his heartbeat, the drum of blood in his ears, and he finally forced his eyes open to see Anna staring at him.

"I'm sorry," She hurried to back up but John caught her arm.

"Don't be sorry." He edged closer and she did not back away. "I'm not."

"May I impose on your for something?" She whispered and John leaned forward to hear her better over the beat of the ocean and the sounds from the hotel behind them. "Would you kiss me?

"Why?"

"Because I want to feel some of the passion you have about that painting."

John pulled back, "What?"

Anna lowered her head and a slight darkening to her skin betrayed a blush. "I'm going to be honest, I've got a boyfriend but he's almost never on island and it's been a long time since I've kissed anyone and even when we do it's mechanical and distant and-"

John did not let her finish. His lips were on hers in a moment and his hand came up to hold her cheek, keeping her steady as he continued to move over her mouth. He kept them close, moving in the sand to feel her body against his, and lost himself in the sensation of her fingers on his shoulder.

After a moment he broke the kiss and she heaved in a deep breath. "That was… wow. I've never felt anything like that before."

"Can't say I have either." John stroked his thumb over her cheek.

"Now I don't want to stop."

John shrugged, "You're the one with the boyfriend."

"I know." Anna bit at her lip, "Would you think less of me if I told you I'm having all kinds of salacious thoughts about you right now?"

"No because I know you noticed the rise you got out of me earlier."

"Quite literally," Anna teased but stopped, "I hope you don't think I'd be badly using you or anything."

"I'm not sure I've ever met a man who, when propositioned for sex, thought he was being badly used." John's hand settled near her throat and he ran his thumb gently over the skin there, feeling her shiver. "If you want, that is."

"Do you want?"

"I haven't have sex in over a year, probably, and the last time I had it wasn't very good so, if you're offering, I don't think I'd have it in me to say no." John stopped himself, "I do want to make sure you wouldn't regret it and then refuse to talk to me again."

"No," Anna shook her head almost violently. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't regret it at all."

"What about your boyfriend?"

"Not sure he even has to know." Anna's eyes flicked toward the sand. "I think he's already cheated on me and that's why he keeps saying he's leaving on business but neither of us has the guts to actually call it quits, even when we both know it's dead."

"Better the devil you know."

"I think I'd rather know you." Anna put her fingers on John's wrist, drawing it toward the opening of her shirt. "If you don't think that's too slutty."

"Not sure there is such a thing and I don't think I could say no if there were." John leaned forward again, "But only if you're sure."

"I am." Anna brought their lips almost together, "I'd like to have sex with you, Mr. Bates."

"Your wish is my command."

John's mouth was on hers again and this time he gasped a little when she risked the tip of her tongue to grace over his bottom lip. His hand tightened on the back of her neck and he had to throw the other one out to catch himself when Anna pulled him toward her. They half-rolled so John was over her, knees on either side of her hips, and she moved both of her hands to the back of his neck.

The kiss was entirely in her control, guided and driven by what she wanted, and John was the helpless but willing participant. One of her hands opened his shirt, spreading all of her fingers over his chest as if to help her feel more of him, and John groaned into their kiss. His own hand abandoned its hold by her neck and sculpted the side of her body, detecting every curve and dip in her skin through her dress.

When he reached her thigh she raised her hips, bunching the fabric of her dress around his hand. John separated their lips and moved his mouth to her throat, sending a moan to the heavens from Anna that he knew he wanted to hear again. His other hand fought to escape the confines of her dress and match the ardor her hand stoked through its graceful exploration of his chest, now fully exposed as the tails of his shirt hung open around them.

The lap of the ocean covered their rising volume, for which John was especially grateful when Anna snuck his belt loose and then pulled down his zipper. Her hand, through the two layers of material, tempted an even greater sensation she proved true when she ignored the barriers to wrap over him. He bucked forward, groaning and trying not to sound too animalistic in his grunts when she proved to know exactly how to handle him.

But two could play at that game and when John's knee edged her legs apart it distracted her long enough for the hand bunching near the bottom of her dress to drag it up enough to expose her knickers. Even in the low light he had to tamp down his groan at the sight of her bikini bottoms. And when his other hand graced over her breast her hand only squeezed him tighter.

With a twitch of his hips, John shifted lower. His mouth left her neck and his hand near her thong played under the elastic band. She lifted her hips and John pulled them away from her, slipping them off her legs and removing her hand from him in the same motion.

Anna started to whine but changed to a hum of satisfaction when John dropped his trousers and pants low enough to let his erection escape. She opened her legs wider and John took his position back between them but instead of moving forward the way the rise in her hips wanted, he skated a finger over her instead. The gasp of surprise matched the twist in her hips and John continued.

Her hands dug into the sand, shifting patterns there like someone making snow angels, and her moans rose to match the sound of the ocean. When he risked a finger inside her it sent out a loud shriek John was sure no one could mistake for a native bird. Or, he grinned to himself as he dipped to lay a ring of kisses over her neck, maybe it was the native bird.

Within a few more moments she was trembling around him, his fingers easing from her clinging muscles and rubbing down at her bundle of nerves. The nerves he excited a moment later when he pressed forward. But the mind of sensibility stopped him and John's kisses left her neck.

"I don't have-"

"I'm on the pill and I promise I took it today." Anna's leg notched over his hip to drag him closer. "If that's enough for you."

"If it's enough for you." John drove forward and had to bury his shout at her shoulder.

They moved faster than John would have liked but the friction between them, matched with the less desirable friction of the sand sneaking its way into hard-to-reach places, sent John into a frenzy to get them to finish before they were more full of sand than one another. Anna writhed against him, not complaining as he pushed as far into her as he could and then even farther when she wrapped both of her legs around his waist. And, in the last seconds, John's fingers at her nerves crashed her in time with the waves.

The world darkened for a minute and John felt his whole body shaking. He tried to raise his head, slipping backward in the sand to try and slip out of Anna without driving them both over the edge. She cried out slightly and John stopped.

"Are you alright?"

"It's just…" Anna blew out, "It's been awhile for me too."

John snorted, pulling back and trying to situate himself in his boxers and trousers before digging in the sand for wherever he tossed her thong. "Uh…"

"What?" Anna sat up, moving the skirt of her dress under her so she sat on that and not directly on the sand.

"I think I lost your knickers."

Anna had to cover her mouth as she laughed, "That's something I didn't think I'd ever heard someone say to me."

"I'm so sorry," John turned to her but Anna held up her thong.

"Found it." Anna grinned at him, "And, if you're up for another round, I'd like to go again."

"If you want that could we," John looked around them, "Could we do it inside because I think I've got sand everywhere."

"Me too." Anna stood up, her legs wobbling a bit and then steadied. "Might want a shower to make sure it's all out."

"Mine's closer." John pointed to the hotel, "If you don't mind getting caught in the walk of shame in the morning."

"If it's not weird to you, it won't be the first time I've done the walk of shame out of the Grantham." Anna shrugged, "Remember how I said there was low-key prostitution around here?"

"Yes."

"There's also a lot of shameless sex around here and I've participated in it." Anna waved her hand toward the hotel. "If you still don't think I'm being the epitome of forward."

"I very much do but I find I really don't mind." John dug into his pocket and drew out the key, "To mine?"

"Lead on."

They snuck into the hotel, avoiding Mary as she gave a dressing down to one of the maids, and John let them into his room. Anna gave a low whistle at the sight of it and left her knickers on the tabletop before toeing off her shoes. She walked around the room, investigating the art supplies and equipment he already had spread over the room.

"I hope you don't mind the mess."

"I find it intriguing." Anna turned to him, "If you want to wash all the sand out first then I'm going to make myself a nuisance looking at these."

John nodded and hurried into the bathroom. He stripped, tossing his clothes in the corner without a thought, and rinsed everywhere. It took longer than he thought but when he got out of the shower, wrapping one of the fluffiest nice towels around his waist, he reentered the room to see Anna inspecting the painting he had near his balcony.

Anna pointed to it, turning to him when she heard him. "This is gorgeous."

"It was the sunset." John pointed toward the shower. "It's all yours if you want."

"Perfect." Anna winked at him, snatching the towel as she passed. "Don't think you'll need this."

John coughed, catching the edge of the table to stop himself falling to the floor. Part of him wanted to reach for a sheet or a shirt or anything but the look in her eyes kept him from doing anything to cover himself. And so, in order to give himself something to do with his hands, John mixed some of his paints and turned to the empty canvas.

It was not large but it was enough. He mixed the blues, whites, and blacks to quickly give the image of the moonlit beach. A beach where he painted two figures intertwined slightly more romantically than their foray on the beach had been. A scene that enthralled John so much he started when hands wrapped around him.

"That's beautiful." Her lips kissed at his shoulder. "And I'd like to buy it."

"I could make it a gift." John lowered his palate and brushes so he could turn to face Anna.

And then his jaw dropped.

"Expecting something else?" Anna winked at him, dancing away from him to sit on the edge of the bed. "I thought, since I stole your towel, it'd be unfair for me to have one."

'What if-" John coughed, "What if I wanted to take it off you?"

"We've time in the future." Anna laid back on her elbows, lengthening her body for him. "If you're up for it."

"You might kill me before then." John crawled forward and moved over her. "I don't know if I can keep up."

"Then," Anna flipped John onto his back with a sudden outburst of air. "I guess I better help you."

Before John could move or make a sound she took him in her mouth. Anna's hands moved over him, squeezing and massaging to send John's heart into overdrive. It was like all the muscles in his body tightened and drove him higher than he had ever been as he tried to get the synapses to fire properly in his brain. But with her tongue running over him, sneaking into the slit, or helping her teeth scrape up his shaft, John could not even put a full thought together.

Her fingers teased at his sack, twisted at his base, and then she pulled off when he groaned for her. John released his hold on the sheets, his fingers cramped into a clawed shape, and Anna raised herself over him. Since he could not move she slipped her own fingers between her folds.

If he had any air left in his lungs, it left. John could look nowhere else but at Anna as she worked herself up enough to leave glistening evidence of how ready she was. Her hand left her as her moans grew louder and then settled on his chest to help steer her as she aimed lower. When she sank fully down on him, John's eyes rolled back into his head and he could not bear to even move.

But he eventually forced himself to open his eyes. The sight before him would be forever burned onto his retinas as he watched Anna move. It struck him so deeply his right hand moved, as if to hold a paintbrush.

He wanted to paint her. Wanted to capture the freedom and ecstasy on her face as she writhed on him. Wanted to keep the way her back arched when her arm held her hair off her neck and she bent backward to take him as deeply inside her as she could. Wanted to get the expression she had when she climaxed around him perfected in paints… even if he knew it would never match seeing it for real.

John finished a few seconds later and Anna slumped forward on his chest. They panted together, matching the crash of the waves outside in their ferocity, and John was sure he fried any brain cells needed for coherent thought. He gave himself over to the sensation of her on his chest as he realized it was the best he ever felt. After a moment she slipped to the side to lay back on the mattress with him and their fingers intertwined in the space between them.

"Business to pleasure." John muttered and Anna laughed.


	3. Unshakable Boyfriend

John opened his eyes and blinked when he saw Anna, sitting at his table with her back to him, studying the painting he left on the easel. He sat up and she moved, the material of the robe shifting to give him a peek of her naked breasts. "Good morning. I hope you don't mind that I ordered room service."

"Not at all." John reached for something and only found the sheet to wrap over his waist. "What'd you order?"

"I thought you might still appreciate the familiarity of a classic English breakfast before you get used to the idea of rice and pineapple and fresh fruit as your everyday fare." Anna pushed the tray toward him, "I didn't bother with plates since I don't like to give the kitchen too much to do."

"How kind of you." John snatched a strip of bacon, "I'm sure they appreciate your efforts."

"I hope so. I deliver their mail and everything else." Anna sat back in the chair, chewing on an apple slice and nodding her head behind her at the picture John painted while she was in the shower. "That's gorgeous by the way."

"It doesn't do you justice."

"I don't know." Anna turned slightly in her chair and John caught another side view of Anna's barely covered breasts. "I think it's beautiful enough as it is."

"It's barely a sketch."

"It's going up on my wall." Anna reached across, snatching a piece of bacon for herself and biting down to show him her teeth. "And I'll tell everyone who asks that it's me."

"Even that boyfriend of yours?"

Anna chewed slowly, settling back and hooking a leg over the arm of the chair. "I guess that was bound to come up."

"I think it should since I've been a few things but I promise I've never been a home wrecker."

"And, like I said, there's not much there anyway." Anna scooped some eggs onto a fork, chewing slowly. "You're not wrecking anything that's not already wrecked, I promise."

"You do know that there's still a chance you might get back together with him."

Anna sighed, "Possibly but I doubt it. He's been away for two weeks and hasn't even sent me an email, if that tells you anything about the state of our relationship."

"What'll you do?"

"Move in with my friend and then hopefully continue to seduce you."

John snorted, pulling his sheet up to show Anna his carbon fiber and titanium leg. "Even with this?"

"It didn't stop you last night." Anna winked at him, blowing out at the rest of the tray. "I think I'm finished."

"You're full?"

"For now with the food." Anna drew her tongue over her bottom lip and John thought his throat could not get drier. "I don't think I'm finished with you."

"Aren't you?" John sat back in his chair, "You're taking home the sunset and the one with beach sex on it. What else could you get out of someone as worn out as me?"

"I'd have to believe you were worn out." Anna pushed her chair back, walking toward the easels. "These aren't the work of someone who's done with anything."

"Then, if we're discussing what we plan on doing with one another," John tapped the table, "I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you what I think."

"And what do you think?"

"I think you're looking for excitement. You were when you came to this island to study the weather. You wanted it on that beach last night because you thought it would give your life meaning again. But you've forgotten something."

"What's that?" Anna came back to the table, leaning on it to listen.

"You're forgotten that where we are has little to do with how exciting our life is." John shook his head, "You may not believe this but I used to think that my law practice and everything attached to it was all I needed. That the more money I raked in and the more people I put in prison or kept from prison would make life have more meaning but, at the end of the day, my house was still empty and my wife didn't love me any better when I could put a diamond necklace on her neck than she did when I only had a cheap band for her finger."

They were silent a moment before Anna pushed away from the table. John almost reached for her but Anna's face had not scrunched in anger. Instead she held her arms close to her body and walked past the easels to stare out at the weak morning light giving tone to the beach. John followed her eye line and watched the runners and workers making their way over the sands to their jobs.

He pushed his own chair back, holding a loose hand to his sheet, and walked to her side. Leaning on the wall he pointed out at the people. "For them, this island is like a suburban neighborhood or a desolate moor. The excitement isn't in what we do or where we are."

Anna hung her head, shaking it as she moved her hair to the side. "You must think me pretty foolish."

"Never." John put a hand to her shoulder. "I think you're human."

Turning to face him, Anna let her arms fall to her sides and John tried not to notice too closely that the belt of the robe loosened and he could see the strip of her skin from her neck to her ankles. "And what would you tell that very human woman to do now that she's gone and cheated on her boyfriend with a stranger?"

"I'd say you'd better decide if you actually want to stay with him."

"I don't. I don't think I ever did but I convinced myself it was better if I just kept my head down and stopped trying to fight the complacency." Anna tilted her head to the wall. "I don't think relationships should be so easy they feel like you're not even trying. Not like that."

"I can't say I've got too much experience in how to correctly orchestrate something like that but, I'd say, you're probably right." He huffed out a breath. "It's supposed to be work but it should fulfill you at the end of the day. That's what my mother always said. If you feel like you're just settling with something or that each struggle leaves you drained instead of successful, then maybe it's not working."

"Is it bad to say that I've not got one of those spines." Anna cringed.

"You've not got a spine?" John scoffed, "The woman who wanted a bit of passion and decided she'd have sex with me on the beach?"

"It's a different kind of spine." Anna shrugged and the robe unsettled a bit more. "Trying to get out of something takes a lot less effort than getting into something."

"Getting into bed with me took less effort than breaking up with a boyfriend you're convinced is doing you wrong?"

"It sounds crazy but-"

"No," John put up a hand, "You're right. I don't know how I can judge you poorly when you're just in the same struggle I was with my ex-wife. It took me losing the lower half of my right leg to get rid of her."

John shrugged, "I think you'd find that you're going to regret not getting rid of him before you lose something a bit more valuable than your limbs."

Anna turned back to the view out the window. "Too bad I can't have you with me when I'm trying to get rid of someone who manages to seduce me each time I think about it."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"It's…" Anna huffed, "It's one of those things where you understand all the logic behind why you shouldn't and how you shouldn't when you're not in the moment but when you're confronted with the object it all falls away. No matter how much reason or logic you think you've got on your side you can't bring that to bear when you're staring at it."

"And you don't think I understand that?"

"I think I could use a bit more courage when confronting it."

"Confronting it how?" John leaned forward and Anna's fingers tugged at the bed sheet wrapped over his hips to let it fall to the floor.

"With your help."

John surged forward at her invitation and took her lips with his. Delicate fingers held under her chin as Anna brought him with her in her turn away from the window and toward the wall. Her fingers pulled at the skin of his neck and then furrowed their way into his hair as John's hands hit the wall on either side of her head to hold himself steady in the wake of her onslaught.

It was like drowning in air. John abandoned his hold on the wall to put one hand to her cheek and jaw, holding her steady as he returned her plunder of his mouth with an intent to ravish her. But as her leg lifted to his, trying to pull him closer, John worked his other hand between them to find her already dewed and waiting.

His fingers snuck into her, slipping and sliding as they worked her from clit to opening, and Anna moaned into his mouth. She broke the kiss long enough to find the air she needed and John used the moment to send a finger into her. Anna clenched around him, fingers digging into his skin hard enough to leave welts later but John could not care less. His hand moved from her neck to her hip and with a gentle nudge of his lips on hers, Anna jumped into his embrace.

Her legs curled around his waist, driving herself on him with all the force her twisting hips could manage. John kept his fingers working, flicking a thumb between them and biting his lip almost to bleeding to stop himself rutting against her as he inadvertently stroked himself in time with her. However much he wanted to stop himself, he could not help but glide his arousal against her, moving in time with his determined fingers meant to send her over the edge.

Risking a look down, John had to kiss Anna again when the glint of her arousal soaked over his. Enough so when Anna whimpered her finish in his mouth John wasted no time thrusting forward. It caught her off guard and John only paused a moment to look her in the eye.

"Are you alright?"

"Just need a moment." Her eyes closed, her chest heaving as it pressed against his and John recognized the fluffy, towel-like material of the robe added a degree of unnecessary friction between them.

"Next time," John growled, leaning to suck a line of kisses against her neck to distract himself as he held steady. "I'm taking the robe or the towel or whatever off you."

"Please," Anna keened, her voice breathy and high like she could not get enough air. "But next time."

The shift in her hips had John pulling to the edge before driving back in. They sighed together, the speed slow and steady now, as Anna pulled her mouth to his ear. "Are you one of those people who likes someone talking to them?"

"Might be." John grunted, pushing forward, risking an adjustment on his hands to find a better hold. His grip left red blotches on her skin and he had a funny feeling she might have to explain away telling bruises if she decided to wear a swimsuit in the next few days. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Just to say I think you're the best I've ever had." Anna tightened her knees at his hips, spreading her legs a little wider so she rubbed over his lower abdomen and left a shining sheen of herself there. "And that I don't think anyone's been as thorough as you."

"It's the artist in me." John struggled to keep his head, wanting nothing more than to surrender to the slight tremor in his body demanding he simply drive into her until there was nothing left. "No detail left untouched."

"Then please move faster. I can't take this any longer." Anna bit down on his earlobe, "Send me over the edge again please."

John could do nothing but take her request as law. Her body hit the wall, thumping at the distance of John's thoughts, as he drove into her. The slick slap of their bodies meeting, the rhythmic thumping of them against the wall, and nonverbal struggle for each to find a better hold or position left them gasping and groaning together when John finally came. The slight shift in his position as he tried not to drop her, sent Anna over the edge at the end and she clung to him as they sank to the floor.

Anna leaned back against the wall and John found himself inspecting the ceiling. He barked out a laugh and heard a hollow knock as Anna's knuckles rapped against the carbon fiber of his leg. Lifting himself as much as his spent body could, John grinned at her.

"Like the hardware?"

"It is useful." She sighed, "I do hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you'd make a wonderful prostitute."

"From the same woman who first solicited me for sex I'm taking it as a sincere compliment." John lay back on the floor, "But you'll have to forgive me. I might need a bit of a breather before round two."

"Don't you mean round four?"

"Whatever number it is'll have to wait a stretch." John breathed out, "The leg's the only thing that could keep going forever."

"I don't need forever." Anna crawled to his side, the robe slipping on her shoulders. "For now'll do just fine."

* * *

Anna ran her fingers through her hair, tying it back quickly and twisting it around the base to wrap it in a messy bun. She hurried through the crowd, tugging at her shirt and then adjusting the strap on her bra. A man coming off the small plane looked around and she raised her hand to be seen over the taller greeters at the tiny airstrip. He noticed her, nodding and holding up his bag to point to the far end.

Making her way there, Anna shuffled on two feet, scrubbing hard at her arms as if she could scrape away the evidence of anyone else having touched her. She smiled and held her arms open to the man but their embrace was perfunctory at best and over in less than a moment. She sighed as he managed his bags, hurrying through the airport.

"I hope you didn't borrow Gwen's shitty car for the drive."

"Since you didn't lend me the keys to yours and I don't own one it's the only one I could get." Anna blinked, cracking at her neck as if to throw off the comment. "You thought a cab would be to expensive and I-"

"Fine, fine, fine," He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, scrunching his eyes closed. "It was a long flight."

"It was the same flight you take every time you go to Miami." Anna drove the key into the boot harder than she meant to and popped it so he could store his bags. "Was there something about this trip particularly tiring?"

"No more than usual." He dropped his bags in there and left it open to walk to the passenger side door.

Anna slammed the boot shut and took her place behind the wheel. "I'm not your chauffer, Alex."

"What?" He turned to her, "What are you talking about?"

"The boot. You left it open after putting your bags in like it's my job to close it."

"Do you want me to go back and close it?"

"I already did."

"Then what's your problem?"

"That I'm not…" Anna growled and shook her head. "Forget it. Let's just get you home."

"Get me home? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I think we're both done with this." Anna steered them through town, ignoring all of Alex's little motions when he disapproved of her driving. "Don't think I don't know why you're spending so much time up in Miami."

"I'm a banker, Anna, it's what I do. I handle accounts-"

"For rich people looking for a tax shelter so they don't have to pay as much as they should. I'm not stupid, Alex, I know what you do." Anna pulled the car around a sharp turn and into the hills toward the houses there. "But they don't need you that often seeing as tax season was six months ago and it's not even quarter end."

"What do you think I'm-"

"What's her name?" Anna stopped the car on the side of the road, overlooking the beach and the water from the hillside. "How long've you been flying the four hours to Miami so you could shag her?"

"I don't have to listen to this." Alex scoffed, "If you've got a reason to be jealous that other women look at me-"

"I don't, Alex, and that's the point." Anna threw up her hands, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering why it took us so long to realize it."

"Realize what?"

"That we're not supposed to be together, Alex. We shouldn't be together and I don't think we ever seriously thought we should. It was just fun and we liked it but we weren't serious about it." Anna counted a moment, "It's been almost two years and we're not even really living with each other. We haven't talked about marriage-"

"Do you want to talk about marriage?"

"No and that's the problem." Anna shook her head, looking down at the ocean. "We need to find the guts to walk away from what's been easy and comfortable and find ourselves outside of whatever this has become for us."

"Anna-"

"No," She shook her head, putting the car back in gear and driving to his place. "I already moved all of my stuff from your house to Gwen's and that's it."

They drove up to the house and Anna got out to pop the boot. Alex pulled his things from the back and stared at her, struggling to find words. When he could not his hand reached for the boot and their hands met there for a moment. Anna took her hand off and let Alex shut it.

"I don't want it to end like this Anna."

"How else is it supposed to end, Alex?" Anna waited but he could not meet her eyes. "We don't go on dates anymore. We meet up to hang out and watch a film or walk the same stretch of beach and eat at the same cheap shack before having mediocre sex. It's not romantic."

"It's not always going to be romantic. Love s realizing you're not always going to have sunshine and rainbows."

"I'm not asking for sunshine and rainbows. I'm asking for effort. Like putting the sodding dishes away or maybe expressing any level of interest in my life or my work or my-" Anna stopped herself, "It's not worth it to fight about it since I'll only get myself worked up over nothing."

"It's not nothing." Alex put a hand to her face and Anna tried to pull away but the familiarity of the grip held her steady. "It's important and I'm… I'm sorry I haven't been attentive enough to you. It's… it's been Hell at work and I want to make it up to you."

"How?"

"Why don't you come inside and we'll talk?"

A voice at the back of her head whispered 'no' but Anna followed Alex inside his house. Inside what might have been their house. Eventually to what might have been their room and their bed. But, at the end of an hour and a nap that had her easing out of Alex's grip to leave him snoring into his pillow, Anna remembered it was not.

None of it was hers because he never asked her to share it with him. There was always the cute words, the tiny motions of affection that always won her over, and the pretty phrases. But never the ones that she wanted to hear. Just the ones she satisfied herself to accept. The ones that always brought her to the point of sneaking out of his house with her dignity in tatters.

Anna drove back to her house, tears running over her cheeks, but could not bring herself inside. Instead she left the car and walked the beach. She knew it so well and the moon was bright enough that there was no need to worry. At least not until she found herself on the porch of John's room.

Before she could move the glass door opened and John, dressed in a shirt splattered with paint and thin cloth trousers to match, came out.

"Anna?" He reached out a hand and neither of them cared if it smeared paint on her skin. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…" She shook her head, thumping a palm against her forehead as the tears she hoped dried on her walk through the sand only leaked anew. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Come inside."

John helped her in and sat her at the table they shared just that morning. He moved his accouterments out of the way and Anna caught a glimpse of a half dozen half-finished beaches. She craned, sniffing and taking the offered tissues with a hurried 'thank you', to investigate the paintings.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to satisfy myself with beach scenes." John motioned to another half-dozen in the sitting room area. "Or even the greenery of the island but I can't seem to satisfy myself with landscapes."

"And you've only been here a day." Anna chuckled, dabbing at her eyes before pulling the delicate tissue apart in her fingers. "Imagine how you'll feel in a week."

"I think it's something else." John teethed his lip and Anna turned up to look at him but he waved her away. "It's nothing. What's wrong?"

"It's actually kind of funny." Anna tried to laugh but it died in her throat. "Not the kind of funny where you'll laugh about it but the kind where you're only thinking schadenfreude."

"About what?"

"I tried to break up with my boyfriend, after picking him up from the airport, and…" Anna tore the tissue into strips, forcing herself to leave the shreds on the table between them. "It was just like all the other times. I fell for his sincerity and I…"

She buried her face in her hands, "I can't face myself. I can't face how weak I am and how I…" The sobs wracked through her body so much that she could hardly breathe, "You must think I'm as weak as I feel."

John's hands covered hers in a moment and she looked up at him through the blur of tears. "You're not weak. And if you… If you proved how human you are I'm not going to judge that. I'm human."

"Not like this."

"You don't think there were times I said to myself, 'this is the day I end it' and then found myself an hour or two later lying in bed with my wife hating myself? Or that we'd have vicious fights before going at each other like animals?" Anna had no answer as John clutched her fingers tightly in his. "You're no better or worse than anyone else, Anna. You're just as flawed and imperfect and… wonderful as anyone I've ever met."

"Truly?"

"Truly." John took a breath, "It's why I want to paint you."

"Paint me?"

John nodded, "You're all I could think about all day. About how much I want to draw you in everyday moments, or when you laughed, or when you're talking about the things you love or when you're enraptured or when…" He reddened, barely visible in the dim light from the low lamps near the bed. "Or when you climax."

"You want to paint that?"

"I want to paint you."

"Like one of your French girls?"

"No," He laughed with her but they soon grew serious again. "Like you."

Anna stood up, pulling John to his feet. Without another word she helped pull his shirt over his head and then reached for hers. But John stopped her. His fingers, slightly sticky with paint not yet dried and cracking with the dried paint now peeling off under the friction between their skins, delicately dragged her shirt over her head.

He bent, kissing from the line of her shorts to where her underwire kept her breasts high. John's tongue and teeth traced over her stomach and then to her sides before kissing at the fabric of her bra. His fingers, slipping a bit on the catch he could not see, managed to undo her bra and let it drop on the chair with her shirt before taking each breast carefully into his mouth.

Anna clung to the back of John's head, whimpering at the attentions of his teeth and tongue and trying to move toward the bed. They worked there slowly and Anna bounced a bit on it as John's weight pushed her down. She writhed under him, gasping when he tugged her shorts off her legs and then pulled her knickers over her with his teeth. The rasp of the fabric was only matched by the sensation of his fingers over her skin and the press of his shoulders to widen her legs.

With a hand caressing and massaging at her breasts, John turned the attentions of his skilled tongue to her core. Anna lifted her hips in time with the thrill of his tongue through her folds and then keened her response to the teasing of his fingers. They glided and taunted until they sank into her before replacing the motions of his tongue at her nerves and his tongue pointed to drive into her. The back and forth, each motion leaving her sparking and fizzing, had Anna crying out.

As she never did with Alex. Even in the haze of her orgasm she knew that. They could never be like that. Had never been like that. Could never be like that.

That took trust and risk and more than a passing interest. It took investment and care and concern and… And everything she never had with Alex. Everything she might have once wanted with him but knew he could never provide.

John helped her up the bed, meeting her hungry and excited lips as she sought to take her taste from him. Her tongue battled his while John battled his trousers and pants. Anna helped him, fingers and nails scraping against the prosthetic for a moment. It broke their hurry and she tipped John onto his back to remove it.

There was a moment for her to figure out the catches and the covers but soon it thunked to the floor. Anna massaged over the scar tissue, kissed at the crisscrossing skin that raised and bumped like a story in braille, and then met John's eyes before kissing him again. He held her as gently as she caressed his leg before turning them back over.

With her legs secured over his hips, her hands learning him with all the care and attention he gave her, John thrust forward. They moved carefully, finding a new rhythm in this position. Not like their tryst on the beach or when she rode him the night before or even the anxious excitement of that morning. This was something different. A different tune for a different song.

Anna ran her hands over his back and sunk her nails into his skin as she dragged down his muscles in time with his long strokes, or when he nipped at her breasts, or sucked at her pulse, or drove so deeply Anna was sure he might split her in two. Her fingers dug into the flesh of his ass as John pumped into her and Anna turned into the insistence of his lips before bidding with her hips that he let go. She wanted to know nothing but him and when John finally let go, answering to the whines and cries she made between obscene invitations, Anna exulted in the harsh pound of him against her.

With a lift of her hips she went over the edge again and dragged him with her. She held tightly to him, enjoying even the final stutters of his body against her, and settled back into the sheets. When he tried to move she clung even tighter, only releasing when the need for air was greater than the need to hold him.

They lay in silence for a moment before Anna finally turned to him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not judging me. For nothing thinking less of someone who turned to you for sex after her boyfriend-"

"If you think it's just sex then I might think less of you." John pushed a strand of hair from her face, "But I don't think that's what this is."

"No?"

"No." He gave a little smile. "I don't usually have sex with people who cry at my table, if we're being honest."

"Than what is it?"

"There's a belief, in Eastern cultures, about the idea of sharing light."

"You think that's what we're doing?"

John shrugged, "It's not just sex."

Anna turned her head on the pillow, studying the ceiling a moment, and then nodded at him. "I think you've given me a lot of light."

"And it'll eventually be enough to drive the darkness away." John leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "If you want."

"I do."

"Then I'll be here to give it to you for as long as you like."

"Forever?"

John smiled, "Forever."


	4. Oncoming Storm

Anna blinked, squinting at the light peeking through the clouds, and sat up. The sheet around her fell down but when she went to grab it and preserve her modesty she noticed there was no one there. Pushing herself out of bed, Anna stretched out and walked to the window, pulling the sheet with her to wrap over herself in case anyone outside happened to look in.

But there was no one there. With the threat of rain, most would stay indoors. Anna frowned at the clouds, ducking her head down to try and get a better view under the eve of the door, and then searched the floor for her shorts. She dug out her phone, fumbling a moment to find a charger as the battery light flickered and blinked its warning.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, using John's charger, Anna hit redial and held the phone to her ear. After a moment the ringing on the other end picked up to a relatively cheery voice. "Weather and Climate Research, Gwen Dawson speaking."

"What's the tracking on that storm?"

"Anna!" Gwen's voice broke through the phone loud enough for Anna to pull it back from her ear. "Where've you been? You left the car at my house but never came home. Did you… Did you stay at Alex's?"

"No. I stayed at the Grantham."

"Mary's letting your stay there?"

Anna bit her lip, "Not exactly."

"Anna Smith I do hope you're not about to tell me you went and found yourself a shag buddy that quickly after breaking up with your boyfriend."

"Exactly how do you define 'broke up'?"

"Anna!" Something that sounded suspiciously like Gwen slapping the flat of her hand on whatever flat surface was in front of her, had Anna cringing. "You said you were going to leave his sorry ass forever."

"And I told him that and I thought we were agreed but then he apologized and invited me in to talk and…"

"And you shagged him instead of leaving his broken-ass self outside his own door." Gwen huffed, "He just needs to sell that place and move to Miami. He's there more than here nowadays which, as I recall, was why you wanted to break up with the git in the first place."

"I know my motivations, thank you." Anna sighed, "Look, I'm calling about the storm."

"It's a tropical storm right now but our other stations think it could progress to a level five." Gwen's voice wavered a moment on the other end of the line. "It's… It's under debate. Island Patrol is deciding whether or not they should order an evacuation."

"Are they that worried it'll reach hurricane size?"

"Right now we're hoping just for a level three tropical storm." Gwen clicked her teeth. "We'll know more by this evening. I'm keeping some people on speed dial to see what's going on."

"When do you need me in for that?"

"Soon as you can. What's your delivery schedule look like?"

"I'll need to see Mr. Carson about that." Anna rubbed her face, hurrying to catch the sheet before it fell. "But I could come in first and then check in with him. I don't even have my bike right now."

"Anna…"

Anna waited but Gwen did not immediately speak. "What?"

"Are you safe? I mean," Gwen hurried to explain herself. "Are you somewhere safe? I should ask about whether or not you're being safe as well but-"

"I'm up with my medication, thank you." Anna jumped when she heard the lock on the door click. "Look, I'll call you before I come in."

"Okay. I'll tell you if the weather changes."

The call ended and Anna left her phone with the charger. Holding the sheet to herself, Anna bent and started collecting her clothes from the floor. The door opened and Anna turned to see John, holding a tray in his hands, entering the room.

He smiled, holding the tray up to her. "Thought you might like breakfast."

"Did you go and make it yourself?"

"I did, actually." John set the tray on the table as Anna dropped her clothes on the chair. "Thought the personal touch might help you."

"Help me find the courage to leave my boyfriend?" Anna shrugged, catching the sheet again. "Technically I could just ghost him and solve all of my problems."

"Will that really work?"

"Mostly not, actually." Anna shrugged. "It's not the largest island, especially when we're talking about those places people actually go, and he knows all the places I normally go."

"Like your work and your play locations?"

"Yeah." Anna went to open the top of the tray but John put his hand over hers. "What?"

"Is there something else?"

"Else? What kind of else?" Anna stepped away, dragging the sheet over the floor as she walked over to the sliding glass doors.

"Is there another reason you won't leave your boyfriend?"

Anna shrugged, "It's… complicated."

"That's not really an answer." John came up to her, leaning on the wall beside her. "Because while I think we need to acknowledge we're sneaking around behind his back, regardless of whatever kind of bastard he obviously is."

"I know." Anna took a deep breath, "There's a reason to why I can't get away from him but I don't think it's something you can just explain."

"Why not?"

"Because," Anna flailed a hand, "Alex was there for me at a very delicate period of my life. I came here to escape my life in the UK and I met Alex when I was vulnerable. It's like oxytocin."

"Like what?"

"There's a hormone your body produces when you're filled with adrenaline that unites you with people. It's why you should never go on a first date to an amusement park."

"Not something I can claim to ever have done."

"That's the point, you shouldn't." Anna settled back,

"But?"

"Alex was there when I needed something. And he took advantage of that in a way that I didn't realize and can't quite escape." Anna put her forehead on the glass door. "It's… It's odd because you never realize how things dissolve until you're at the bottom of the hole."

"Did he abuse you?"

Anna turned to John, "I wouldn't even know what that would mean. He's never hit me, if that answers the question, but he's neglectful and we've had some raging arguments."

John nodded, "That's abuse too."

"Neglect is abuse?" Anna snorted, "I feel like I spent my entire life being told that you should run if he hit you because, if not, then you're in paradise."

"We don't always recognize what we're settling for." John turned toward the storm outside. "My wife and I… We were a shitshow in general but it was abusive."

Anna frowned, "I'm guessing it wasn't you on her."

"No," John shook his head, "At least not physically. She would throw things, scratch at me, and if you look closely at the back of my scalp you can see the scar where she knocked me with a cricket bat."

"That's horrible."

"It wasn't my proudest moment because I was afraid to tell anyone my wife abused me." John drew his hand up and down himself. "A woman beating up on a man who looks like me is the kind of thing people laugh about."

"Not me." Anna shook her head. "I can see it."

"My response was verbal abuse, only made worse by my drinking." John scratched his thumb across his forehead. "We drank together, abused each other, and then went at it like animals because what else do you do when you're poison for one another."

"What if only one of you is suffering the poison but can't find the strength to get out?" Anna leaned herself on the doors, turning to watch the storm instead of watching John's reaction. "What is only one of you can see that it's toxic and you can't get away from it despite the fact you know you'll never be happy?"

"You deserve to be happy." John put a hand on her shoulder as Anna shook her head against the door.

"No, I don't."

"Why not?"

Anna sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "Because the reason I escaped here in the first place was because of what I'd done."

"What did you do?"

"I stabbed my stepfather in the leg when he tried to get his hands on me and instead of risking him saying anything about it to the police I ran here. I ran right into the arms of someone who doesn't want anything but convenience and because he even looked twice at me I thought, 'why not, it's not too bad' but it's horrible."

"Then leave it, Anna." He put his hand over hers, "Leave it and stay with me."

"I don't have the strength to do that."

"You do." John moved behind her, pointing out at the storm. "You're that storm. You've got the power hidden there to unleash on the world if you wanted to."

"How?" Anna felt John's mouth near her ear, putting her hand to the glass as if she could touch the storm.

"Let go of everything. Walk away from those things that don't make you happy and finally find the happiness you deserve."

"I want that." Anna turned over her shoulder to him. "I want you because you make me happy."

"Then let me make you happy Anna."

"Yes." She faced the storm again, as John held himself close to her.

His lips grazed over her shoulders and his hands stroked up her arms. As he placed her hands on the glass the sheet dropped and Anna could not find it in herself to care about whether or not anyone saw them. The scratch of his clothes over her skin sent all the hairs on her body standing on end. Her fingers squeaked on the glass as John set his kisses to cover the expanse of her back.

"What can I do?" Anna blinked, not sure if John was actually speaking since her whole body tingled with the attentions of his hands and lips.

"What?" Her voice caught, as John's fingers stroked down her clit while he kissed over her ass toward her thigh.

"What can I do to make you happy?"

"Just… Just keep going." Anna scrunched her fingers as John's hand ran down her leg and then back up to slip between her folds. "Please don't stop."

"Then I won't."

John's gentle nudge spread Anna's legs a bit and she cried out, thumping on the glass when he licked over her. Her whole body quivered as his fingers and tongue worked over her as expertly as he did the night before. Fog spread from her mouth over the glass as she tried to fill her lungs but they steadily tightened so she gasped to find the strength to realize the levels of pleasure he drove her to find. Each move strategically chosen to make Anna moan and whimper until she shattered.

Anna tried to catch herself but John did. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he put his other hand near hers on the glass door, John kissed back toward her neck. She twisted enough to kiss his mouth, twisting his hair in her fingers. John shunted himself forward and Anna ended the kiss to breathe at his presence there.

"You are the storm, Anna. You hold the power to make yourself happy."

"I want to be happy. I want you to help me be happy." Anna held herself as closely to him as she could, their cheeks pressed together as John rocked his hips into hers so she could feel his arousal there.

"Then may I?"

"Please do." It only took a second and then Anna groaned when John settled as deeply as he could.

John's hands continued to move over her skin, sculpting and gliding to follow the contractions and contortions of her body. One hand settled at her breasts, following the sounds of her whimpers and moans to send her higher and higher. The other hand fingered and rubbed over her clit before slipping toward her folds.

Anna spread her hands on the glass, pressing back to take him as deeply as she possibly could. John sucked at her pulse, grabbing at her hip and driving quickly before slowly slipping back, and kissed up to her ear. Whatever he wanted to say there he never managed to get out as Anna pulled at his hair.

She pressed back from the glass, settling her ass into the crux of his hips, and tried to pull John closer to her. He clutched at her, breathing in time with her as they rose higher and higher together. They scrambled for purchase as if they could sink into one another's skin and take the ride to the finish as one. And with the work of John's hands and his kisses Anna went over the edge and dragged John with her.

They settled, Anna noting the streaking on the window from her fingers and the fog of her breath in patches slowly fading. John slipped back, helping Anna away from the glass, and they settled on the bed. Anna laid back and stared at the ceiling to watch the steady thump of the fan.

"I don't think I deserve you."

"Then we're in agreement." John let out a little laugh, "And I think our breakfast got cold."

"It's fine." Anna shook her head, "I need to shower anyway."

"Work?"

"I really should." Anna turned her head to him, "Want to shower with me?"

"Are you planning something?"

"Maybe." Anna shrugged, running a finger down his arm. "Mostly I just want to be close to you."

John stared at her, "I think I'm already closer to you than I've ever been with anyone before."

"Then you don't mind the idea of showering with me?"

"I love the idea." John knocked his knuckles against his prosthetic. "This is even waterproof."

"What a phenomenon." Anna sat up, "I'm going to shower and, if you'd like, you can join me."

"It is my shower after all." John joined her. "And the difficulty is that we'll have to separate anyway."

"How'd you mean?"

"Because I've got to work too." John nodded toward the half-finished paintings. "I've got to somehow manage to finish these paintings to send them to the people who want to stare at pictures of the beaches they'll never see."

"What about the butterfly?"

"Well," John turned to the glass doors, "There's a storm coming."

"Gwen said it could turn into a hurricane." Anna reached for her clothes, sorting them out and nodding at the doors. "It'll be dangerous."

"It's the best chance I'll have for a bit I think." John gathered his things. "What if it does get worse?"

"Island Patrol'll order an evacuation and we'll have to hope most of it'll be here when we get back." Anna went into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping back as John leaned in the doorway.

"Would we have to go?"

"Technically you've got the agency to say 'no thanks' and then risk being drown or buried in rubble."

"It's not an earthquake."

"Have you seen what happens after a hurricane?" Anna slipped into the shower and grinned when John joined her a moment later. "Ready?"

"I might be in a second." John reached around her, grabbing the body wash and a flannel. "But you need to go to work and we should get the important stuff out of the way first."

"Of course." Anna dodged his hands and sank to her knees. "This is the important stuff."

The tile dug into her knees but Anna ignored it. Her fingers slipped and skidded up his skin as the water droplets wet patches of his skin but left others dry. And as she shifted and tried to move, Anna wondered if she could even compare to the level of skill that left her quivering under his attentions.

But the moment she wrapped a surprisingly sure hand around his rising arousal, Anna heard the grunt of pleasure from John. She risked a quick look up, trying to avoid being blinded by the spray of water, and saw his clenched fist hammer once on the wall of the shower as he huffed to breathe. Smiling to herself, Anna set to work with strokes and squeezes before she dared to try something a bit more ambitious.

If Anna ever dared look back at the event, she might have realized no matter what she tried it would be successful. Careful licks, flat strokes, and even her attempt to suck him off were not the horrible failures she imagined. Too long being guided through every step of what should have been a self-explanatory process did nothing to bolster her confidence while John's nonverbal responses did everything for her. Each enthusiastic attempt met his approval to the point Anna risked moving her hands from their secure grip to knead into the flesh of his ass or manipulate the weight between his legs.

And just when she thought she might try to finish him right there, John hauled her to her feet. Anna blinked against a sudden spray of water but John's mouth on hers eliminated the need to see. She wrapped her arms around him, holding tightly as he lifted one of her legs and drove forward. Her back hit the wall and Anna let out a rush of air but the strike of him on her still settling nerves ignited inside her.

She could not get enough of his mouth. Or of touching his skin, even when the water made it hard to get any kind of grip. Or of how he spent time sucking and licking over her breasts while still managing hit all the places she needed him to inside her. And when he thought he could not quite get there, he used his fingers instead.

Anna fell over the edge and John pulled out to turn her around. The tiles sparked her skin again, the cold sending shocks to her system at the difference in temperatures created between John at her back and the unfeeling décor before her. Those thoughts fled the second he thrust into her again. She tried to meet each of his hungry and frenzied motions but Anna could not work past her own pleasure to help him find his.

John, from what she could seem to find past the thorough exploration of her body inside and out, had no trouble managing on his own. His hands slipped like hers had but he kept them stable and even managed to get Anna close enough to the edge again that her meager contributions to the task got her over a few moments after he finished. With his head on her shoulder, his chest expanding against her back as he tried as desperately as she did to breathe normally again, and a hand still holding at her hips, John kissed her skin before trying to pull them apart enough to let water between them.

Turning to face him through the spray, Anna grinned as John held up the body wash and flannel. "It's not romantic but-"

"Needs must." Anna took them from him. "And I'd like to do you first."

"You're the one who needs to work."

"And I need a way to thank you."

John stopped her hands, "You never have to thank me Anna. We're not exchanging favors or anything."

"That's the point." Anna placed a quick kiss on his lips. "You make me happy for no reason at all and I can't… I can't be more grateful to you than that."

"Then we can be grateful together." John put a hand to her face, kissing her more gently than she had him.

In all her experiences of kisses Anna could not think of a time she had been kissed more sweetly or with more emotion or with so little needed but the return of the action. A moment she wanted to encapsulate in time and look back to as an example of pure and perfect affection. Something the back of her mind told her she might never experience again.


	5. Moon Over Miami

John packed his paint supplies and work in the storage boxes and waved the workers to move them from his room. His other bags sat packed and ready on the bed as Robert entered. The other man clapped his hands together and then rubbed them, like it would solve the increasing speed of the wind or the whip to the water.

"Sorry about the butterfly." Robert winced, "I know you were hoping to see it in the storm."

"And I know you're hoping I don't stay here to die in what might be a flooded hotel." John shrugged, eyeing the stripped room. "I do have to admire the efficiency of your staff."

"They're trained to strip and protect this place." Robert tapped the floor with his shoe. "Like how we insisted on all the floors being tile and nothing with carpet. Easier to clean and we're not stripping it if the hotel gets drown."

"What about their homes and families?"

"Most of them live on higher ground and they're used to this." Robert shrugged it off, "They know what to prepare for before we do and helped design the training."

"Good on them then." John took his things to the car and bundled into the backseat with Mary, typing as quickly as she could on her phone, and a child's car seat separating them.

"Whatever you do, please don't wake George." Mary risked a look over at John and then immediately turned back to the screen illuminating her face as the sky outside the car darkened. "He doesn't like planes and if he knows we're going on one he'll make everyone on it hate me for the four hours to Miami."

"Why not fly somewhere else?" John leaned forward toward the front seats as Cora turned to address him.

"We've got an agreement with the airports in Miami. It's temporary holding and we don't have to put anyone through Customs. It's only until the storm blows over."

"Isn't it hurricane season?"

"That it is Mr. Bates." Mary continued typing furiously, finally setting her phone to the side. "It's why we set up this little amenity. The Grantham's the only hotel on the island to secure the agreement and we're the only ones with a plane large enough to carry our staff and guests at maximum capacity."

"Who planned that?"

"Anna and I did." Mary's phone buzzed and she picked it back up, texting quickly. "Mama, they're all ready at the airstrip and everyone's either in their shelters or already there."

"Then there's no time to lose." Cora knocked on the window and signaled to Robert as he hollered last minute instructions to the man standing there before getting into the car. "Mary says they're all ready."

"Waiting on us as usual." Mary settled back in her seat, turning to John. "I hope this doesn't ruin the review I hope you'll leave at the conclusion of your stay, Mr. Bates."

"It's all an adventure now Mary." John rested his head back on the rest.

The drive to the airport was surprisingly controlled given the gale force winds and even their mad dash from the covered carpark to the plane went more smoothly than he imagined. Mary, carrying George in his chair, dashed faster than the others and hurried up the steps as John followed with Robert taking the rear after Cora. They entered the plane as rain lashed the windows and Robert nodded to the pilot to get the plane off the ground.

Mary, divested of George's chair, led John to his seat and he startled a moment when he realized it was right next to Anna… and another man. "Mr. Bates I'm sure you remember Anna, from the dinner, and this is Alex Green."

"Charmed." Green extended his hand and John forced himself to take it in a shake more mechanical than natural. "Your first time to Downton Weir?"

"First time to Miami as well." John put his larger bag in the cramped space of the overhead compartment and jammed his other bag under the seat in front of him. "You?"

"I travel to Miami all the time for work." Green waved a dismissive hand in the air, "Part of the banking business I'm afraid."

"Must be such a drag." John turned to Anna but she forced herself to continue facing forward, her jaw twitching slightly. "How do you know Mary?"

"The Crawleys are friend's of Anna's and she's taken me to a few of their parties." Green shifted, "Anna and Mary go way back."

"I remember Mary mentioning, at the party, they're old friends." John pointed between Green and Anna, "Are you old friends?"

"Friends with benefits." Green winked and Anna dropped her gaze to her lap. "Anna and I are in a relationship."

"How nice for you." John settled in his seat, staring forward.

His eyes glanced down a moment and he saw Anna's fingers light over his before shifting to the end of the armrest. Her arm went over his and John let his lip turn toward a little smile. The plane jerked and Anna's fingers shifted back to interlace with his as they rose into the air.

When they reached a cruising altitude Anna turned to him. "Mr. Bates, could let me by? I need to use the restroom."

"Of course." John stood, allowing Anna out and she fell into him as the plane jerked with a bit of turbulence.

He caught her, a hand going up to hold the overhead ledge, and she whispered at him as Green let out a near expletive as the jerk spilled his drink all over his shirt. "Meet me by the back restrooms."

She left and John almost went to sit but watched Green pulling at his shirt. "Let me see if I can get an attendant to get you a napkin."

"Like they're any good." Green smacked a hand on the seat in front of him, earning him a glare from the woman there. "Mind your own business."

John rolled his eyes, following Anna to the back of the plane. He met her there, directing an attendant to where Green argued loudly with the woman in the seat in front of him. Sneaking a look around, and grabbing onto one of the little counters to keep his balance as the plane bucked, John turned to her.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry about him."

"Green?" John shrugged, "What could you do about it?"

"I feel like I should've done something." Anna shook her head. "Mary organized the seating and since Gwen had a place on the island with her boyfriend she put us in the row."

"It's alright." John looked back over his shoulder at the man, "He's a right prick."

"He's used to business and first class but since the plane is the Crawley's then their VIP guests get the nice seats." Anna shrugged, "It's what you deal with."

"Are you alright?"

"He's fine. He'll get a few drinks in him and then grumble to himself or fall asleep and then it'll be fine." She peeked around his shoulder and hurried to push one of the doors open. "Shit. Get inside."

"What?"

"Inside." Anna crowded John into stall and then pulled it shut behind them. "I don't want a scene if he sees us together."

"If come out of the same stall he'll say something." John tried to hold himself above Anna in the cramped space. "Not the ideal here."

"No," Anna tried to turn but the plane jerked again and John landed on his ass on top of the closed toliet seat.

"Bugger all." John tried to stand up but Anna put her hands on his shoulders.

They did not say a word as Anna settled over him, balancing in the tiny space between his legs and the plastic walls. She traced over his face with her hands before putting her lips on his. A gentle shift, ignoring the occasional jerk of the plane, had them breathing the same air.

His hands stroked over her legs in the skirt she wore and eventually he pulled it up to her waist so his fingers could tease and taunt at her folds through her knickers before he pushed them to the side. Anna moaned into their kiss, grinding herself against his fingers as hers speared through his hair to hold him fast to her. They moved together, John's hips bucking toward hers when her hand dared to venture where his buckle and zipper soon fell prey to her skills.

John risked one hand away from her, her hands clutching at his shoulders to hold herself close to him, and lifted himself enough for her to work his trousers and boxers out of the way. He moved his hand away and settled on her hip to hold the fabric of her long skirt there so she could sink onto him. Both bit back their responses and tried to breathe without opening their mouths as if afraid they would give themselves away.

She moved first, one hand keeping a steady grip at the back of his neck while the other crunched in his shirt, and John met her rocking motions. Gyrations and bobbing were all they could manage in the tight confines of the toilet but when John took his head to her breasts after Anna pulled the shirt over her head, their speed increased. The muffled contact of their bodies trying to meet one another as their hands and mouths tried to make up for their lack of motions had John flicking and rubbing furiously where Anna needed him most.

Her head buried at his neck, her teeth biting there for a moment before releasing and gasping into his skin. A moment later, one of her hands snaking down to score a line of scratches over the skin of his exposed ass, John finished. He buried his head between her breasts as she held fast to him.

Their breathing eased as the plane flew more smoothly and Anna eased herself up. Taking a wad of toilet tissue, she cleaned over herself and resettled her knickers before dropping her skirt to kiss the floor. John handed over her shirt and Anna put it over her head as John cleaned himself. He reached for his boxers but Anna bent and brought them and his trousers back up.

As their eyes met, the used tissue tossed into the sucking of the toilet, John bent his head to kiss her. Briefer than the others but no less needed, Anna ended it and then pushed the door aside to exit the stall. John counted twenty before peeking his head out. Anna's blonde head was invisible with the height of the seat but no one else turned toward the toilets.

Working himself out, John made sure he was as normal as someone could look when they just shagged in the toilet and took his seat next to Anna. Green was already slumped and snoring against the window, oblivious to the tousle of John's hair and the slight swell of Anna's lips. She smiled at him and they interlaced their fingers for the remainder of the flight.

* * *

Anna rested her chin in her palm, staring out the large windows at the dark sky streaked with the occasional flash of lightning. Someone nudged her shoulder and Anna jumped before taking the covered cup from Mary as the other woman settled in the seat across from her. "Where'd you find it?"

"Had to cross three terminals to get some tea but I guess since everyone else wants coffee it's not so bad." Mary sipped at hers through the lid and then nodded at Anna. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Calling all his bosses and whatnot to explain the situation." Anna shrugged, "He said something I didn't understand and then vanished."

"Like you did on the plane."

Anna stopped, the cup almost to her mouth before she lowered it. "Sorry?"

"Don't play coy with me," Mary took another pull at her tea before putting it on the small table between her seat and the next one. "I'm not stupid and I happen to know the maids cleaning John Bates's room mentioned he'd had a guest for the last two nights."

"I hope you're not judging me."

"Never." Mary shook her head, "You could do a lot worse than John."

"High praise."

"You went with Green."

Anna cringed, "I'd rather we not talk about him at the moment."

"Gwen might've let it slip you were trying to shake him."

"Is nothing sacred?"

"Not when you're shagging my father's friend in his hotel while you're still stringing that prick along."

"That's not kind Mary."

"You're right," Mary nodded, "He's a dick."

Anna let out an exasperated sigh, "Because you're one to give me advice."

"I do hope you're not about to tell me off for Kemal." Mary swirled her tea in her cup, "That was a long time ago."

"And we all make mistakes. To err is human."

"But to continue in your mistake is stupid." Mary flailed a hand, "You and I both know you could do miles better than Alex Green. I've told you that for years."

"I know you have and I occasionally find the clarity in myself to think the same thing but then he does something nice and I think, 'maybe I was wrong' and…"

"And the next thing you know you're f-"

"I know what happens." Anna snapped, setting her cup to the side and folding her arms over her chest. "I'm not proud of it but… It's like I can't shake him."

"Most in abusive relationships can't."

"He's neglectful." Anna tried to argue but Mary shook her head.

"You might've fooled everyone else about your hot-and-cold relationship but I saw the bruises when that deal fell through. You came to me when you cried about that." Mary settled in her chair, picking at a nail so she did not have to look at Anna. "And I happened to have a friend look into his activities here in Miami."

"Mary you didn't!"

"Of course I did. He was hurting my best friend. I wasn't just going to sit by and let that happen." Mary waved a hand in the air. "And Tony found out that Alex has been busy here. He's dealing with all the wrong people, to start, but he's also got no less than three women hanging around."

"It's not like I've been an angel."

"Except for John you've not had sex with anyone but Alex since you two got together. He's not been so kind."

"I tried to break up with him when he got back yesterday."

"And how'd that work out for you?" Anna turned to the floor, listening to Mary's snort, "Of course. He convinced you to change your mind with his below average penis."

"You don't know what size he is."

"I've seen his hands, Anna, and I know how to work ratios." Mary gave a little laugh. "The only ratios I ever really cared about in maths anyway."

"Please stay focused Mary." Anna brought her legs up to hug them closer to her body. "I suppose you're not here just to give me crap about my mixed up sex life."

"Personally I'm just glad you're having sex." Mary finished her tea, "But I think you need to officially, and unequivocally, dump your shitty boyfriend."

"You mean without worrying about him pulling out his…"

"Considerably small dick?"

Anna scowled, "Without trying to use sex as a tool to keep me close?"

"Public is a great place to breakup with someone." Mary took her cup and Anna's, "Like this airport. Then you can leave his ass to the women who actually want it and chase John's ass instead."

"You're always so enlightening Mary." Anna stood up, stretching. "Have you seen the man I'm supposed to dump like yesterday's rubbish?"

"No. But I have seen the man you want instead." Mary pointed, walking in the other direction. "Don't let him get away."

Anna nodded, walking in the direction Mary indicated, and almost collided with Alex. He took her by the shoulders, checking over her. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, why?" Anna pulled at her shirt, "Where were you?"

"I told you." Alex jerked a thumb behind him, "I had calls to make."

"Right." Anna shrugged, "I should call Gwen."

"Your call might not go through. The news reports say the hurricane's covered the island."

"There's still a chance." Anna eased around him, "I'll be back."

"Hurry about it. I've got to talk to you about something."

"Right, sure." Anna hurried away, trying to track down John.

She found him near the restrooms and pulled him inside. John frowned at her as they barricaded themselves in the handicapped stall. "Not that I'm not flattered but this is the second time you've cornered me in a loo in less than twenty-four hours."

"For good reason." Anna took a deep breath, "I just talked with Mary and she knows about you and I."

"Is that awkward?"

"She's not going to tell Alex. She hates him."

"I can understand why." John shuddered, "The way he treated the flight attendant was-"

"I know." Anna hurried to say, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you've got to think I'm the worst decided person with the flightiest mentality."

"I don't think that."

"Then listen to me when I say," Anna took a deep breath, "I want you."

John's brow furrowed, "I figured that when you had your way with me in the airplane toilet."

"And as nice as it was to join the Mile High Club with you," Anna took a breath, "I want you to stay."

"Stay?"

"On the island with me." Anna flailed her hands, trying to speak faster than John could respond so he did not interrupt. "I know you've got a life off the island and that needs consideration but I could move too. My job's a mobile one… ish, and there's always a place to study weather patterns. I just…"

She let the breath out of her lungs, "I want to be with you."

"And what about your boyfriend?"

"The moment I get a chance he's history. Horrible, embarrassing, and hopefully something I learned from but history none the less." Anna waited, "Will you stay with me?"

John nodded at her, holding her face between his hands. "Of course."

They met in a flurry, a little less conscious of their noise, and they stumbled sideways to the little metal seat by the wall. Anna landed on John's lap, her knee dinging off the metal and leaving her hissing. John silenced her with a kiss and then their tongues tangled for violent attention as Anna's hands held as tightly to his jaw as she could manage while trying to control their kiss.

The door opened and they broke apart, listening for the voice. Anna went to stand but John grabbed her legs and pulled her sideways, Her back hit his chest and John held her legs back so only his could be seen from beneath the stall door. They paused for only a moment and then Anna bit at her lip when John's lips skated over her exposed neck and part of her shoulder.

His fingers traced and teased under the hem of her shirt, tugging it over her head slowly to leave it hanging from the hook on the back of the door. She moved against him, turning to leave her own trail of kisses over his cheek and then meeting his lips as he pulled her bra apart to leave it hanging off her shoulders. His hands snuck under the hanging cups to massage and knead her breasts as the phone of the other man in the restroom rang.

They ignored it as Anna's grip on John's scalp drove him to grip her breasts and then her hips harder as he shunted against her so she could feel his erection through four layers of clothing. She yanked her skirt to bunch between them but left her ass exposed but for her knickers. John's fingers at her hip immediately left for a chance to work between her skin and the material there.

Anna tasted blood as she bit into her lip to keep herself crying out at the familiar feel of John's fingers stroking and pressing where she already dampened the material of her knickers for the second time that day. They caught around his fingers and she lifted on her legs, John holding her so she steadied before falling over the edge of the seat, and shimmied the knickers down to her knees. His belt flipped and the familiar sound of his zipper filled the stall before Anna lowered herself.

Sinking back, she pulled him closer to her to bury her moan in his mouth as the voice on the phone finally spoke. Anna stopped, breaking the kiss to stare wide-eyed at John, and he held her still above his erection. They waited and then Anna drove herself down and buried their groans in another kiss as the sounds of the loud call covered their motions.

"I know I'm back in Miami. Some tropical storm they thought could be a hurricane. No, I can't leave the airport. We're here on special dispensation. Look… Barrow I… No, I'm here because I couldn't be on the island when it's sodding drowned could I?

John's hips worked to strike Anna so he hit as deeply inside her as she needed. She twisted her hips and met each of his drives with all the enthusiasm she could. Their cheeks pressed together and Anna breathed with John to try and cover the two as one. His fingers and hands still pressed and massaged where the sensations sparked and fizzed. Her breasts tingled and she gloried in his care there before trying to find a place to groan into his skin as he fingered and stroked at her nerves.

"Look I'm here with my girlfriend and it'd be awkward if you… What are you going to tell them at security when all flights south are canceled? I told you, I'll handle it when I'm back on island. I'm… I'm as good as my word and you can remind your boss of that."

The call ended and the quick rush of the water as Alex dried his hands covered Anna's tumble into her climax. His opening the door covered John's as he bit down on Anna's shoulder and they shuddered and stuttered together. She rested her head back on his shoulder, hauling deep breaths as she moved just enough to see him.

"Not the most romantic of locales but-"

John kissed her. "It's what we've got to work with. I'm just sorry he ruined it."

"I don't know." Anna resituated her bra, John helping hook it back in place, and grabbed her shirt before cleaning herself up enough to pull her knickers back into place and drop her skirt. "We both finished and I thought it was delightful so I think he didn't ruin anything."

"You'd better get back out there and tell him." John stood, trying to get himself back to publicly suitable before leaving the stall with Anna. "Wouldn't want him delaying some meeting for you."

"Given all the times he's delayed me for a meeting I'd like to tell him to sod off if he gets his knickers in a twist."

"Just as long as we're leaving your twisting knickers to me." John bent for another kiss before peeking out of the restroom. "Coast is clear if you hurry."

Anna slid past him, blowing a kiss before she walked back up the terminal toward where her things spread out. Alex paced there, one hand in a pocket, worrying something as it bent and creased his trousers, and his other hand running furrows through his hair. She slowed, looking around at the few others from their flight gathered in the space trying to sleep or occupy themselves as they waited for news.

"Alex?" Anna stepped closer to him, shooting a look around. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He smiled, looking her up and down and Anna worried she had some trace of sex visible on her. "Did you get through to Gwen?"

"No, you were right." Anna shrugged, waving a hand in what she hoped would be a completely nonchalant fashion. "I'll try again when the storm moves."

"Then we've got time for me to talk to you."

"Speaking of, Alex, I-"

"Anna," Alex was down on one knee with a box popped open in his hands before Anna could finish her sentence. "I realize I've been stupid and I didn't put you first and I'm sorry. I took you for granted and I want to change that. We've not talked about marriage but I want you to marry me. Please marry me, Anna, and make me the happiest man in the world?"

Everyone around her was already clapping and pulling out their phones to film. She glanced around, hoping to find Mary or John or anyone else to rescue her from this ambush as Alex slid forward enough to grab her left hand and slide the ring over her finger. Anna tried to pull away but he held her tight.

"Forgive me, Anna, and I'll spend the rest of my life proving that I'm worth it."

"I don't… I don't know what to say." Anna finally tugged her hand free as the people around them called out like the gallery.

"Say yes!"

"Kiss him already."

Alex took their bids and stood. He grabbed Anna by the hips and placed his lips on hers. Anna's eyes stayed wide open and she broke the kiss soon after as phones flashed and people clapped for them. As her eyes scanned around she saw John, standing at the back of the group, his face falling at the same rate Anna's heart dropped in her chest.


	6. Things We Say to Soothe

Anna pushed out the doors, ignoring the rain to find John standing on the pavement and staring out at the lightening sky still streaked with black clouds and forking lightning. Her hand on his arm startled him and both looked down to see the ring there. She pulled back, hiding it from view.

"He bought it at the duty free. Cheapest one they have, according to Mary." Anna pulled it from her finger, turning it over to watch it reflect the lights of the airport behind them dully. "I didn't say yes."

"You didn't say no."

"He ambushed me in front of a hundred people. What did you expect me to do?" Anna pointed back toward the airport. "I left as soon as I could just to survive the gauntlet of well-wishers."

"Doomsayers more like." John finally faced her. "Did you know he was going to do that?"

"No," Anna shook her head. "He didn't even give me a chance to speak. I went to break it off and now I can't find him. He's meeting someone in the airport and I can't…"

She shrank back, leaning on one of the concrete pillars. "I don't know how this happened."

"How something wonderful died in a matter of minutes?"

"Is it dead?" Anna turned to John, the ring still in her fingers. She shoved it into her pocket, trying to ignore the weight pulling on the thin material of her skirt. "Is it dead between us, John?"

"Not if you don't want it to be."

"I'd never want that." Anna held his hands with hers, "I've never had anything like what I have with you."

"Wild sex?"

Anna shook her head, "It's more than that. Please believe it's more than that for me."

"How can I?" John escaped her grip, walking out into the rain so his white shirt soaked in a second and his outline popped with the lightning every few moments. He turned to her, pointing a finger. "How can I believe you weren't just having me on like any of those other flings people have on an island?"

"Because I've never done that before." Anna risked the rain, holding his cheeks with her hands. "What I told you before the restrooms was true. I want you, in whatever way that means I get to keep you. I know it's not clear cut and it's not simple and we probably cocked it up by sleeping together first but… I can't…"

Anna swallowed, "I can't imagine my life without you anymore. Before it was nothing but now that you're in it… I can't see myself with anyone but you."

John's mouth closed over hers faster than she could breathe and her fingers reacted on instinct to hold him closer to her. They ended the kiss when a crack of lightning flashed near them. She practically jumped away from him and they both laughed in the energy of the evening.

Anna clawed her fingers, pushing her wet hair back from her face, and laughed up at the rain. When she brought her head down, her eyes caught John staring at her. Pursing her lips, Anna tried to suppress her smile but the one on his face was infectious. "What?"

"You." He stepped toward her, backing them both under the insufficient overhang that spilled water in raging streams onto the tarmac. "In all the ways I've seen you, you've never looked as happy as you did just now."

"Soaked and standing on a tarmac in the rain?" Anna pulled her sopping skirt to the side and her breath caught when she looked up to see John standing over her.

"And saying 'sod all' to everyone and everything." His fingers trailed over her skin, sending sparks fizzing past the parts of her tempted to shiver. Not because the rain was cold or the humidity did not compensate for heat but because of how close he was. "The way I want to say the same thing."

"Why would you say the same thing?"

"Because I want nothing more, right now, than to lift you up and take you against this pillar." John's fingers caught and slipped on the wet material of her shirt when he trailed them down her torso. "To say 'sod all' to words like convention or appropriate or publicly decent."

"Then do it." Anna ran her hands over his shirt, catching on the buttons but ignoring them in favor of plastering the material to his chest to see through it. "Don't make me wait John."

His mouth seized hers and Anna clapped one hand at the back of his neck to hold steady. The other pressed to his chest, managing to undo a few buttons so her fingers could spear through the hair on his chest. John groaned into her mouth, pressing Anna roughly back against the pillar so the texture of the concrete support caught and scraped at her shirt and back.

She shifted, trying to get more of his buttons undone, but John's hands went to her thighs and lifted her in one motion. For a moment she saw them back in his hotel room and the rough pillar behind her was the smooth wall. They were safe in the confines of the room they made their own. And with that Anna pulled John's lips to hers again to take control of his mouth.

Their tongues tangled and Anna rubbed herself over as much of him as she could as one of his hands worked her skirt back until it hung off her hips. She spread her legs wider, hugging him closer to better rub herself on the front of his trousers. They scraped her skin through the two layers of fabric but Anna could only groan into their kiss at the sensation.

His fingers shifted her knickers aside and took a familiar path. Each stroke took her higher, dug her nails deeper into his skin, and tightened her lungs until she had to bury her face at his neck. The scent of him, slicked by the rain and sweating at the exertion of their activities drove her to lick a line to his ear.

He shuddered, fingers slipping to open her wider. Anna bit at his ear, crying out so softly only he could hear her. With each slide of his fingers insider her, she rocked closer to him until he crooked his fingers and she shrieked. A rumble of thunder after the crash of lightning that lit the darkness in his eyes covered her sounds. Any sound she had left he swallowed for her in the kiss he pressed to her lips.

Anna clung to him, working his belt and trousers free with all the practice of the last twenty-four hours, and adjusted for him to sink inside her. The rain added friction to the motion, grating on her sensitive nerves, but her own climax gave him the glide he needed to seat as deeply inside her as he had ever been. They held together for a moment, the beat of their blood synchronizing, and then John started his merciless drive.

Her mouth, breathing hard by his ear, murmured words to him as he moved and each one sent a shudder and then a grunt to accompany the press of him against her. When her fingers slipped on his skin, she dug into his hair to hold herself as close as she could when each thrust knocked them both against the pillar. Each run of her fingers over his skin sent shivers through them both and raised the heat in their bodies.

"How could I want anyone else when you're the only one to do this to me?" She sighed into him, grinding to counter his thrusts. "When you're deeper than anyone's ever been? When you're sending me to the edge with each motion? When you're holding me wide and driving hard but you never forget me? How could I want anyone else when this is just a fraction of what you do to me?"

His head hit her shoulder, his fingers digging bruises into the flesh of her thighs, and John sped up. The rhythm he established vanished in a frenzied drive to release. And, a moment later, he finished and slumped toward her in the afterglow of their mutual climax.

They held one another until Anna could stand for herself. John leaned on the pillar and Anna put herself on tiptoe to kiss him as the rain slowed its torrential downpour to a lighter fall. He smiled, pulling her close to him in a tight hug.

"I'm here for whatever you need from me."

"Thank you." Anna went to kiss his cheek when his pocket vibrated.

"Give me a second." He dug into his pocket, arranging himself to be publicly appropriate and then guiding them out of the rain to answer the call. "This is John Bates."

His brow furrowed and he frowned, "What? No, that's not… She's not even a signer on the account. Look I… I'm stranded in Miami because of a hurricane right now. I can't… Fine, fine. Let me call you back and see what I can manage."

John hung up and Anna pointed to the phone. "What kind of trouble?"

"The kind I thought I legally solved two years ago." He ran a hand through his wet hair and then pointed toward the stairs. "I need to talk to Robert and you need to see if you can get something not so soaked you'll freeze in the air conditioning."

"What about you?" Anna leaned forward, doing up a few of his buttons to put a twinge of a smile on his face. "Won't you get cold too?"

"My head's about to be too full of steam." He sighed, pushing a strand of hair from her face. "I'll be back."

Anna watched him hurry through the airport, dialing someone on his mobile, and turned toward the gift shops. She saw Mary hanging around one, debating between the offering of carbonated beverages, and tapped her on the shoulder. "They'll all probably kill you."

"Why are you soaking wet?" Mary's eyes narrowed, "Don't tell me you decided to go a third round in the rain."

"How'd you know it was the third?"

"Because I'm not an idiot." Mary nodded at Anna's hand. "Noticed you ditched that ring as soon as you could get it off your finger."

"It doesn't go there." Anna shivered, "But I left my wallet with my bag. Could you spot me enough to get that pair of sweatpants, a tee shirt, and a sweatshirt before I freeze to death."

"I should say no, because it serves you right, but since I want to take a picture of you looking like the ultimate tourist, I think I'll indulge. More for myself than you." Mary chose the dark blue tracksuit and a plain gray shirt, all emblazoned with 'Miami' in whatever script or logo they could manage. "Don't you just adore what you can get at an airport?"

"I don't adore the prices." Anna took the sweatshirt as soon as it rang up and ripped the tag to get herself into the sleeves. "How much will I owe you?"

"Nothing if you'll help me watch George in shifts tonight." Mary took her card and the receipt, handing Anna the rest of the clothes as they walked to the restrooms. "He's not going to sleep well here and the reports are saying they're not giving us clearance to fly back until tomorrow afternoon."

"That's not fun." Anna ducked into a stall, striping out of her wet things to change into the new clothes. Her wet bra and knickers dotted the drier, stiffer fabrics but Anna risked it.

"No, it's not. And he's already feeling cooped up as it is since he's been in his chair all afternoon already." Mary pointed at Anna, "I do hope you're thinking about washing sometime."

"There aren't showers here."

"There are in VIP and I would help you get access to that if it meant you didn't smell like rain and sex."

"Please don't say that too loudly." Anna held her wet shirt and skirt in her hand. "I'd rather Alex not hear that where he might blow a fuse."

"Serves him right for using crowd pressure to propose to you." Mary escorted Anna to her things, helping her drape the wet clothes over the chairs to try and dry. "They say people only do that when they're scared someone'll say 'no'."

"Considering I'm going to say 'no' I guess it's not a bad statistic." Anna frowned, "Where is he anyway?"

"No idea." Mary jerked her thumb behind her. "I'd best go and relieve my mother. She's been entertaining George while I… shit."

"What?"

"The whole point of being in that bloody shop was to get food for them." Mary shook her head, "Never mind. Back there for whatever gut-destroying snacks I can manage and then I'll go relieve my mother."

"Sorry to distract you." Anna cringed but Mary shrugged her off.

"Good luck finding your… whatever he is right now but definitely soon-to-be ex-boyfriend."

"Right." Anna pulled out her phone, dialing Alex's number as she walked through the terminal. It rang and went to voicemail so she dialed again. This time it went straight to voicemail.

Tucking the phone into the pocket of the tracksuit bottoms, she walked toward the restrooms and stopped near the service hallway. A noise furrowed her brow and she followed it to a cracked door of a broom cupboard. Anna knocked and the door swung open.

"Shit."

"Oh g-" Anna turned away, covering her eyes and holding her breath before turning back to the closet. "I was trying to find you."

"I was coming," Something fell over and Anna risked a look. The woman in the corner pulled up her sleeve and smoothed her dress before ducking out of the cupboard and leaving Alex, his trousers hanging about his knees, to clean up the knocked over packages of toilet tissue.

"In her or back to me, generally speaking?" Anna turned to the wall and nodded, "In her I guess."

"Anna," He flung the last package back on the shelf to wobble and then fall over again as he held at his trousers and tried to sort himself out. "That wasn't what you think."

"What am I supposed to think?" Anna waved her hand after the already vanished woman. "That wasn't me in here."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I-"

"I'm actually rather glad," Anna dug the ring out of her other pocket and played with it between her fingers. "Saves me the trouble of trying to say that it's not you, it's me."

"Like you've been a saint through this." Alex zipped himself back into place, scoffing at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't think I didn't notice the way you and that Joe Whatshisname were making eyes at each other on the plane." Alex pushed past her into the hall. "One time like this can forgive it."

"That's just it, Alex. I don't want to forgive it anymore and I certainly don't want to forget it." Anna laughed, "And you're right. I've not been a saint about any of it so that's not what really bothers me. What bothers me, speaking honestly, is how you ambushed me in the airport with the cheapest ring you could get out of duty-free and claimed that you'd been stupid and how you wanted me to make you the happiest man on earth before having the gall to beg my forgiveness and promise you'd be worth proving you were worth it."

"It's not like you're going to do much better."

"I'm already doing loads better." Anna shook her head, "It's over, Alex. It has been for a long time but now we're just finally admitting it to ourselves."

"It was a mindless fling Anna. Just something for the stress. You're not going to break up with me over a meaningless f-"

"But I am, Alex." Anna shook her head, "Here's the ring back."

Alex smacked her hand away and she only just held onto the ring as he backed her toward the wall. "You're going to end it with me? After everything I've done for you? After all we are to each other?"

"We're nothing to each other and you haven't done jackshit for me." Anna threw the ring at him, shoving at his chest to get away. "I've already moved out of your place on the island and now you can bring whomever you want there."

"I don't-"

"Whatever we were, whatever name you want to put on the toxic shitpile we were, it's over and done."

"Anna-"

"No," She shook her head, leaving him in the hallway. "We're finished, Alex."

* * *

John held the phone to his ear, his other hand massaging the bridge of his nose to try and focus the pounding in his brain. "Look, I don't know how this all got so screwed up but we've been divorced for two years. She doesn't have access to my accounts and there's no way she could take out a loan on my credit. It's not possible."

"Mr. Bates, it seems your wife-"

"Ex-wife. As I've said a hundred times now, we're no longer married."

"Regardless of your marital status, she's accessed your accounts and taken out a loan in your name. She used your credit to do it and now the bill's come due."

"And I'm asking you how the hell you allowed a woman who's neither a signed name nor a beneficiary of the account to use any kind of collateral on it?" John waited, "Is there a reason or do I chock this up to incompetence when I have my lawyers take it all from you?"

"There's no reason to use threats Mr. Bates."

"It's not a threat, it's a promise. Like the promise of how you'll be the first person on my list when I touch down in England." John hung up the phone and spotted Robert at a table by himself.

He took the other seat and Robert looked up, immediately pointing to the burger in his hands. "Don't tell Cora about this. She wants me on a specialized diet since they said my appendix is larger than they like."

"Whatever." John leaned over the table. "Could you keep my equipment safe at your hotel?"

"As long as none of it washed away it'll be fine." Robert frowned, chewing a bite and then speaking around it. "Why?"

"I need to get the next flight to England."

"What for? It's not like the weather's any better there."

"Because Vera's got into my accounts somehow and she's taken out a loan they now want me to pay back." John shook his head, "It's a mess and I can't solve it over the phone."

"What about your lawyers?"

"I need to be there otherwise it's all a game of telephone."

"Quite literally." Robert finished his burger and balled up the foil wrapper. "You found a flight yet?"

"I'm going to the desk in a minute to try and book the next one they have available. I'll be back the minute it's over."

"At this rate we'll still be here when you fly back." Robert pointed to the television and John twisted around his chair to see the screen. "We're here until tomorrow afternoon at least. Then it'll be all hands on deck for the mop up."

"Then I feel both worse and better for not being there." John nodded at him, pushing back from the table. "I'll see you soon. I hope."

"Good luck dealing with your viper." Robert shuddered, taking his tray to one of the rubbishcans. "I always disliked that woman."

"A fact you always made clear." John hurried out of the food court and toward one of the airline desks. The woman there mindlessly tapped away at her phone and almost dropped it on the floor when John reached the desk and surprised her with the rap of his knuckles on the surface. "I need the next flight to Heathrow."

"What?" She situated herself, typing furiously on the computer.

"Next flight to Heathrow, when does it leave?"

"Within the next hour." She narrowed her eyes at him, "Do you have-"

John shoved his passport and cards toward her. "It's an emergency."

"Sir, this isn't a romantic comedy movie so I truly hope that you're not going there on a whim to get a girl."

"More like trying to permanently get rid of a girl." John saw Anna, approaching in a dark blue tracksuit. "Give me a moment. I'll be right back."

She did not respond as John jogged over to Anna. The smile on her face almost overwhelmed him as much as the kiss she laid on his lips when he got close enough. He broke it and she spoke quickly in her excitement.

"It's over John. He's got his ring back and we're done."

"That's great." John looked over his shoulder toward the desk and Anna's shifted near him as she looked too. "If it's not one thing it's another."

"What's going on?"

"Financial issues with my ex-wife and lawyers and a banker that need my immediate attention." John grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes. "It shouldn't take long. I'll be right back the moment it's all done and dusted."

"Will it be so easy?"

"I'm going to make it that easy." John held her gaze, "I'm coming back for you Anna. If you want me to, that is. If not then I'll-"

"Silly beggar." Anna held his face, "I want nothing more than for you to come back to me."

"Then-"

"Mr. Bates!" The woman at the counter waved his ticket and cards. "They're boarding now and you have two terminals to cross."

"I'll be back." John kissed her quickly, grabbing his bags from the floor and jogging backwards to keep her in sight. "I promise. I'm coming back."

"I'll hold you to it." She yelled after him and John gave her a final wave before sprinting to catch the flight.


	7. The Devil You Know

John groaned as the man turned the page to read another line of text. "Look, we all know she buggered me with this. Can't we just move on?"

"Mr. Bates?"

"We've been at this for a month and I'm tired of paying bills and salaries to people who can't get the damn job done." John studied each face around the table and no one could meet his eyes. "So no one denies they've been shit at this?"

"There's no need-"

"There's every need when my reputation, money, and credit have been shattered by a woman I already paid too much money to divorce two years ago." John jabbed his finger at the table. "I'm losing money being here. Not just to you leeches who've proven you're not worth the retainers I pay you, but also to the woman still running rampant with the loan she took out in my name. More to the point I've got a commission that's sitting in a storage closet on the other side of the ocean that won't be valid once hurricane season ends."

The room quieted, everyone refusing to meet to his gaze. He took another turn looking the table over before speaking again. "Who's going to solve this problem? Because when I step out of that door I'll waste no time in dialing every solicitor and lawyer this island over to find someone to fix this yesterday."

When no one answered for the second time John pushed off from the table. "It's not been a pleasure and I'll make sure the next person I hire can get me back the money I wasted on your billable hours."

He shoved through the doors, pulling his phone from his pocket and dialing a number. As it reached his ear the sound of someone's huffing breaths took his attention and he turned to see a woman running toward him from the room. John frowned, his finger still tapping the button for the lifts as he flicked his gaze to the glass-paneled room where he spent another day holed up with people who smelled of fragrances too expensive to be worth the double spritz in the morning to see the suits inside angrily shoving papers into briefcases.

Turning back to the woman, John raised his eyebrows and pointed between the phone and the open lift. "I've got to take both of these so if you've got something to say-"

"I can get it back for you." She managed, slipping into the lift with him before taking another moment to haul a deep breath into her lungs. "I know what's happened here, in this whole debacle, and I can get you out of it."

John held the phone slightly away from his ear, biting at the back of his jaw with the hope the wait music on the other end was not loud enough for the woman to tell he was still on hold. "How would you know anything about it?"

"Because you'd be amazed what people say when the caterers are hanging around." She winked at him and John blinked.

"You're a caterer?"

"That's right." She puffed out her chest and then handed over a card from a pocket of the apron bearing no marks of use that either spoke to her efficiency or to whatever scam she was trying to run on him. "I work on contract with this firm."

"Doing what?"

"Replacing pastries and doughnuts and the like." She rolled her shoulders and drew herself to her full height, which barely graced the edge of John's elbow. "It's amazing what people say when the help's around because we're invisible."

"And you want to use that invisibility to do what?" John waved the card, glancing briefly enough at it to guess the woman before him matched the name 'Patmore' on the card. "I've not got a need for a caterer."

"But a man like you's got friends. People throwing exhibitions and parties and the like and I'll tell you what I know for your address book, simple as that."

John chewed the inside of his cheek, narrowing his eyes and then taking a more thorough study of the card in his hand before nodding at her. "Alright, since it'll just cost me friends I'm not sure I want anyway."

"Good." She stepped to the side as the doors dinged open and John exited to the lobby. "I finish here at eleven and then I've got a teatime soiree at three but if you'll come to my catering place at one I can give you some tea sandwiches and the information you want."

"Won't it lose you this business?" John waved a hand at the building around them but Patmore just shrugged.

"There are a lot of places that need pastries and this city's big enough for me to find them all."

"Thank you Ms. Patmore." John nodded at her, "I'll be in touch."

"I should hope so." Her finger hit the button on the lift and the doors closed again, leaving John alone to finally answer the voice calling to him at the other end of the phone.

"Sorry? Yes, sorry, wrong number." John dragged the phone from his ear and headed outside the building, flagging down a cab while hurrying to dial another number.

After a moment the tones of a pre-recorded voice sounded in his ear and John tried to juggle pressing the right buttons while also getting into the cab. Unfortunately it took a bit of shouting into the phone at the incorrect voice cues picking up his directions to the driver while he struggled to connect his end of the call. Finally, as he slammed the cab door shut- handing over more money than the ride was worth to the poor, harassed woman who drove him for enduring the marathon of connecting calls- John sighed into the receiver at the recognizable voice on the other end of the line.

"How are you?"

"I sound better than you do." There was a beat where John thought he could hear the sound of a bedspring. "Long day?"

"Like every day here for the past month." John waved at the man behind the desk of the hotel and took the lift to his floor. "How's it been there?"

"It's all hurricane cleanup here." She sighed into the phone as John worked it between his head and shoulder to open his hotel door. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"I've got to meet someone at one to try and clean up my own mess of a hurricane. It's named Vera."

"They say hurricanes with women's names are the worst because people underestimate them."

"Any response to that'll get me into trouble."

"Probably."

John closed his door and went to the desk to open his laptop. "But you'll never guess who's the one helping me out."

"Your meeting at one?" A snort of confusion reached him as John booted up his computer and waited only long enough to agree to the ridiculous internet fee before clicking on the Skype icon. "You mean you didn't get it all worked out this morning. You said last night you-"

"I know but they didn't have anything new. They're just dithering idiots trying to count it all as billable hours." John selected the right image and then grinned into the screen as Anna's face appeared. He hit the button to end the call on his phone and waved at her. "You look better everyday."

"Charmer." Anna waved back, putting her phone to the side. "You've got me at my most indecent."

"Have I?" John made a show of looking over her but Anna only swatted in the direction of the camera. "You're practically glowing in your pajamas."

"It's like five in the morning here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" John went to end the call but Anna's voice stopped him.

"I'd rather talk to you."

"But you like your sleep."

"I like you more." Anna pulled her legs under her, sitting cross-legged in front of the screen. "Now tell me about your meeting at one."

"It's with a caterer."

Anna frowned, "You're playing a function?"

"Apparently I underestimated the help because this woman's apparently been listening to all the conversations while refilling pastries." John shuddered, "I'm never saying anything sensitive where anyone with a uniform or nametag can hear it ever again."

"What's she want in return?"

"Making assumptions about gender roles are we?" John grinned at Anna through the screen and hurried to continue before she could argue statistics. "She only wants my contact list."

"Is that going to hit your checkbook in any way?"

"I plan to give her the people I hope never call me again." John shrugged, "Luckily for me they tend to be the ones who hold the most annoying galas so she'll get all the business she needs."

"Non-zero sum game and all that?"

"You could say that." John leaned back in the chair, tugging his tie loose. "It's more… I don't know. There's something about it that rubs me the wrong way."

"The obviously convenient timing of the caterer coming forward with the information?" Anna folded her arms, leaning forward and giving John a bit of a view down the collar of her large sleep-shirt top. "It's a bit deus ex machina."

"It's not even that." John let the tie hang off the back of the chair and toed off his shoes before carefully pulling the laptop from the desk and running the cord so it could rest on the bed and he stretched out, propping his head up to look at Anna in the screen. "It's that there's anything going on here. I went to all the trouble to divorce this woman and then these people, whose only job it is to get the work I need them to get done, can't use that to actually get anything done."

"Money's the great destroyer of men."

"Root of all evil." John laid back, sighing at the ceiling and leaving his hands on his chest. "The whole thing… It just feels like an attempt to get me to go crawling back to her."

"Maybe that's what she wants."

"After two years?" John turned his head toward the screen to see Anna laying on her stomach, feet kicking up behind her. "Why bother after all this time?"

"Maybe she's broke."

"More likely she heard I was actually finding relative success in my chosen vocation and wants to destroy my life because my being happy is an insult to her existence."

"Then why not find happiness in a way she can't ruin?" John quirked an eyebrow up as Anna dragged herself to sit up and then pulled her shirt over her head. "It know we're far away but…"

John's jaw dropped and he almost bounced his laptop off his bed as he hurried to get into a position to watch Anna. She did not move, nodding at him until his fingers settled on his buttons. With each one he undid her smile widened and her fingers skimmed over her skin to taunt him with places he wanted to touch and feel again.

"Where's your roommate?"

"They've got me in the attic of their place and if they complain then I'll just pantomime hitting the wall." Anna rolled her eyes, "It's not like she's not made it hard for me to sleep when she's with her boyfriend."

"Not sure international porn is really a justification." John let his shirt flutter to the floor and managed to tug his socks off his feet without losing his balance and then his belt struck the floor. "But I'll go with it."

"It's hardly porn." Anna adjusted her position, sitting back while her legs came up to give John a view of her pajama trousers and the hint of a damp patch. "This is consensual and enjoyable on both ends."

"You make it sound like you've done this before."

"Haven't you?" Anna waited, leaning back on her elbows in the image until John finally left all of his clothes on the floor. "Can't say I've had this much fun with it before."

"What? You've watched someone jack off over Skype before?" John tried to find a comfortable position on the bed before just settling sideways with the computer on the desk chair he dragged next to the bed.

"I did it over the phone once with a boy and it wasn't exactly the best." Anna rolled her trousers down her legs and left him with a view of her ever-dampening knickers. "He went early and then hung up."

"Phone sex operator?"

"Thought about it. I've got a great voice for narration." She ran a finger under the elastic of her knickers, "Is it too needy if I say that I've missed you?"

"All evidence to the positive as to what I'd say to that." John reached over the bed and fumbled with something until he found a tube in his bag.

"Do you really need that?"

"Chafing is a serious thing." John rubbed some on his hands and then paused at Anna's grin. "I get dry hands and vasaline is the best thing for it."

"Multipurpose by the looks of it." Anna watched as John took a bit and rubbed it over both hands before running one of them over his growing erection. "Dear me I only have my hands."

"In other circumstances I'd only need your hands on me." John squeezed at the base and twisted slightly as he skated to the tip. "But I'll have to make do with the prototype versions."

"Because I wouldn't use my hands." Anna trilled into the camera, running her hands up to her breasts and kneading there. "I'd just start with my tongue."

John jerked slightly, eyes falling closed to remember that exact sensation. "You're not playing fair."

"Because you're not experienced with this?" Anna giggled and John cracked his eyes open to watch one of her hands venture back to her knickers, teasing him with a view of her fingers encased in the material. "You've never had phone sex?"

"I lived in the days where calling a girl on the phone meant a party line and the possibility of dialing and reaching her father on the other line." John shuddered, his thumb rubbing over the tip to try and skirting back down. "Nothing shoots a man's horse faster than that."

"Then think about how I'd ride you." John bucked and Anna laughed, "Just like that. Although I can't say I'm an accomplished horseman or anything."

"I think you'd be good at it."

"Because I could control it?" Anna's voice drew John's eyes back to her and they widened when she finally dropped her knickers off the side of the bed to see her spread wide for him. "I've got great muscles."

John groaned, "That's not fair."

"What's not fair is that I can't put my hands or my mouth where I want them." Anna let her fingers circle and caress while John only pulled harder, trying to mimic the clench and cling of her walls around him. "Or that I couldn't do it all at once."

"What?" John gasped past the sensations, images running riot in his mind but none of them matching the depth of possible pleasure she promised.

"See I think I'd want to send you over the edge with my mouth first. You seemed to like my tongue before and I want to see how much more you'd like it when I'd use it on you."

"Anna you're not being kind."

"What's not kind is that I can't put my knees on either side of your head so you'd have to eat me out while I suck you off."

John could no more control himself than stop the rush of plans to get the fantasy now playing over in his brain to become reality as soon as possible. He gasped out, body glistening in the light from the large windows, and finally turned back to the camera. Anna still only teased at the edge as he watched.

"You didn't finish." John blinked, shifting on the bed while trying to clean himself up as best as he could.

"This game goes both ways." Anna stopped moving completely and John studied her in the screen to note the rise of red in her cheeks and the slightly faster tempo to her breathing as her fingers only whispered hints against her skin or tweaked slightly. "You can't take unless you give."

"Then imagine…" John swallowed, trying to organize his thoughts. "Imagine I've got you over me. Your knees are on either side of my head and you're holding onto that useless headboard in my hotel room while I run my tongue over you. It's not as good as yours but it'll do the job."

"Will it?" Anna's voice hitched and John tried to tamp down on his smile at the quiver to her thighs and the tremor in her fingers.

"What I lack in finesse I'll give in effort." John lowered his voice, enraptured as he watched Anna move. "Like when I run it over you, back and forth until all I can smell and taste is you. Then I'd try to find that spot inside you that makes you cry out with that little hitch at the back of your throat. But I'd have to use my fingers for that because my tongue works much better wrapped over your clit so I can suck it into my mouth."

Anna could not respond any longer, her hands working furiously at two different tasks while John tried to find the right words to help her reach the crescendo that rise in her gasps promised waited. One of her legs stretched out while the other bent closer to her body and she tried to find the right place with her thumb working her nerves to send her over the edge. John swallowed and went for the best words he could find.

"Because I wouldn't stop until I'd brought you over the edge. Then I'd drink up whatever was left. Maybe enough to send you over the edge again because there's nothing better than watching you when you come. If I could paint with that particular shade of red you get in your cheeks when you-"

Anna crashed, her whole body vibrating to the point she almost kicked the computer from its position but the image on John's end only teetered. He waited, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she sucked for air, and then grinned when she raised her head to look at him. "Proud of yourself?"

"Aren't you?"

"I'm very proud of you." Anna grabbed blindly for her knickers and used them to try and clean herself up before sitting up. "I repeat my earlier statement. I want you here."

"So you can sit on my face?"

"There are other possible positions." Anna turned her head and then sighed. "I should probably get up for real now since I've got a shift at the research station."

"You're not running deliveries today?"

"I've got those this afternoon. This morning I've got to make sure the island's aware of those storms developing on the ocean." Anna put a hand to the top of the laptop and leaned toward the screen to mime putting a kiss on the camera. "In all seriousness, I want you back here."

"I'm trying to get back there as soon as I can." John turned his head to a knock at his hotel door. "I should probably sign off. It could be housekeeping and I'd hate to leave them this mess."

"I'm a bit fond of that mess." Anna winked at him and then put her finger over a key. "Call me with an update about your caterer."

"You really want me to call with that?"

"It'll tell me how much longer I have to wait for you."

"Then it'll be the first thing I do when I've got an answer for you." John mimed a kiss of his own and disconnected the call as another knock came to the door. "Just a minute. I've… I've got to get decent."

"No need for that."

John froze, hands holding his trousers as he went to put them back on. He shook his head and grabbed for his boxers, shoving into them and then the trousers before making sure the evidence of his sexual Skype call was away before going to the door. The chain slid into position as John opened to see the face of a woman with severe blue eyes.

"Vera?" John tried to peek through the slit in the door to examine the hall. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"He's long gone."

"I wish I could summon up the pity to feel bad for you." John went to shut the door but her hand hit the fake wood. "Have something to say?"

"Wont' you invite me in?"

"I'd rather not risk whatever nefarious thing you've got planned." John shook his head, "Thanks but no thanks. Enclosed spaces with the two of us tend to look the worse for wear when we finish."

"Then you want this conversation in the corridor?"

"I don't want this conversation at all. At least not without our solicitors present. When you're ready to show up for one of those then we can talk." John shut the door and heard her raise her voice.

"Then we'll let everyone know our business?" He tried to ignore it, going to grab for his shirt but stopping when her fist pounded the door. "I'm here for business John!"

He walked back, keeping the chain on the door, and opened it again to look at her. "And what kind of business could you possibly have to talk to me about that you couldn't tell any of the people I sent to find you? Or write back in a dozen emails and half a dozen hand-written letters?" She did not answer and John snorted, "This is just like you. To try and get my attention through the most ridiculous means necessary."

"But you're here." Vera's finger came toward the door and John recoiled before she could touch him. "It must mean something."

"It means you somehow managed to get a loan out with me as the cosigner and you almost wrecked my credit score."

"I had to take out the loan. I needed to make repairs to the house."

John ground his teeth, "Why didn't your boyfriend help you with that? He already soiled the bed when I lived there. I thought he would've appreciated the space enough for some renos."

"I told you, he's gone."

"Oh, did he finally realize that if you were willing to cheat with him you'd also cheat on him?" John gave a mirthless laugh, "Maybe men really are the stupider of the species. You screamed that at me once, remember, when you first told me you'd had ten men in our bed while I was away in York for that entail case."

"I was exaggerating."

"I didn't appreciate the grammatical device." John paused, biting down hard enough on the inside of his cheek to almost draw blood. "But I think what I didn't appreciate more than that was finding out about your little operation."

"We weren't ready for kids."

"That was my decision, not yours alone."

"It's my body."

"It was my child!" John lowered his voice, knocking his forehead against the door before meeting Vera's eyes again. "Just leave me alone, Vera. Haven't you already destroyed me enough for one lifetime?"

"You made me better John." She reached for him again but John only shut the door on her.

"You made me worse." He called through it, furiously wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Now leave me alone before I call hotel security."

"You won't get what you want from me."

"I just want you to leave me alone and to leave whatever account you racked up in your own hands and not mine." John paused, trying to gain control of his voice before he spoke again. "Leave me in peace Vera."

He waited and then peeked through the peephole of the door. Part of him wanted to crack the door and check that she really was gone but instead he forced himself to back away. There would be no possible false flags to give her any kind of hope.

As John sat back on the edge of the bed he put his head into his hands and let his shoulders sag. The weight of the conversation lay over him and he tried to summon the strength to even move. But all he could do was sob as the memories of a moment of happiness turned to sour sorrow. The joy of finding the discarded pregnancy test and then getting the call the same day that Vera needed a ride back from the clinic. The sorrow of realizing his dreams were dashed in the very instant he dared to imagine a child with his hair or eyes or nose.

A sorrow that drove him to arrive at Ms. Patmore's location and signal his presence so she took him into her office and gave him the tools to finally exorcise the shadow of his ex-wife from his life.


	8. Bundles of Joy

Anna coughed, wiping at her mouth with a spare bit of toilet tissue and flushing it as she adjusted her kneeling position. She gripped the sides of the bowl, her hands slipping a bit as they trembled, but with a push she landed on shaky legs. Her hand went to the wall to hold herself steady as she tried to breathe fresh air into through her nose before wiping it as well.

Taking a deep breath, Anna ducked her mouth to the sink and rinsed and spit until only the barest hint of bile remained. Just as she finished, wiping her chin on the hand towel, a knock at the bathroom door barely heralded the arrival of anyone before it shoved open hard enough to bang off the back wall. Anna flinched and then blinked at the redhead in the doorway.

"This isn't just bad noodles or some sketchy shrimp Anna."

"I had-"

"Nope," The woman shook her finger, "Don't start that with me. We both know you're not down with some kind of stomach bug and it's definitely not food poisoning."

"I'm starting to get that feeling." Anna took the offered hand that pulled her from the wall and then the bottle of water offered with the other hand. "But since neither of us are doctors, Gwen, I think we should leave the results to the professionals."

"The professionals you won't go see?"

"I'm not going to bother them with something trivial."

"Then maybe you should consult the biological experts who've been bringing life to the world for generations." Gwen folded her arms over her chest, blocking Anna's exit. "You've vomited in my toilet enough times for me to know that you're pregnant."

"Or I've got a parasite or a food borne illness."

"When was the last time you had a period?"

Anna shrugged, "I've never been regular."

"But you know it's been a bit too long to justify stress or even our periods syncing."

"Why couldn't it be that?"

Gwen pointed at herself, "Because your hormones gave me two cycles last month and you didn't get one."

"You don't know that I-"

"I knew when you didn't buy tampons or napkins, Anna." Gwen's eyebrows rose. "And I know when I'm buying too many of both. Jack could tell by my increased intake of dairy products and red meat."

Anna frowned, "Aren't you on birth control?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked first."

"That's a low blow."

"But no less true." Anna swished a bit more water in her mouth before spitting it into the sink and then grabbing her toothbrush. "Are you trying for a baby?"

"Jack's a bit set intrigued by the idea." Gwen shrugged a shoulder and then shook herself. "Don't change the subject. This is about you, not me."

"I'm on birth control but my schedule got a bit off with all the drama lately." Anna put the brush in her mouth, building up a foam in the hopes she could clean the taste from her tongue. "I got back on my I think I'm off by about a week-and-a-half. It'll catch itself up."

"That's not bow birth control works." Gwen sighed, her head going back so her red hair hung down her back. "This is why people should use condoms."

"Tell that to the man who's yet to propose to you." Anna spit into the sink and then froze as Gwen showed her hand. "You're shitting me."

"He asked last night." Gwen played with the band. "That's why all the…"

"I bought sound-canceling headphones when I moved in here to avoid knowing if or when any of… that was going on." Anna put the toothbrush back into her mouth and worked it harder until all she could smell was mint. "But I'm happy for you."

"Really?"

"Of course." Anna spit into the sink and rinsed again before gargling and clearing to speak. "That's fantastic news. How'd he even keep it a secret?"

"Dunno but I was ever so glad he did." Gwen held her hand out at the full length of her arm to admire the ring. "It's a lot better when it's a surprise."

"Some things shouldn't be surprises." Anna dropped her toothbrush back into the cup, leaning on the counter to face Gwen. "What if I am pregnant?"

"It's not the turn of the last century so it's not like you're going to be a shamed woman or anything."

"If my parents were still alive, they'd be rolling in their graves at this." Anna put a hand through her hair, puling it back from her face. "My mother would die of shame."

"Come on." Gwen put her hand on Anna's shoulder and wobbled her a bit. "We both worked out when we were thirteen that your mum was so pregnant when she was married. You weighed too much to be a premie."

"But she still knew she was going to marry my dad." Anna shook her head. "I'm not even dating John."

"Are you a hundred percent sure it's his?"

Anna nodded and then winced. "About seventy percent. Statistically speaking there was a lot more of John in me than Alex so-"

"Stop, stop, stop." Gwen scrunched her eyes closed and covered her ears. I'm going to have to rinse my ears with bleach to get that out of my head."

"You asked."

"Not for details." Gwen batted at Anna but Anna play-slapped her hands away. "I'm not taking a sample."

"Well, in the essence of full disclosure…" Gwen went to put her hands over her ears again but Anna grabbed her wrists and forced her hands down. "Alex always insisted on a condom. Said it was safer that way."

"Responsible."

"He was cheating on me with other women." Anna shrugged, "It was probably more to do with not wanting to explain if anyone got chlamydia or gonorrhea."

"That's disgusting."

"And I was on the pill that day… and the day after…" Anna bit her lip. "I think it was the hurricane when it all got off track."

"But you've not told John?"

Anna shook her head. "He emailed last night, said that he was making headway getting rid of his ex but that it was still gridlocked a bit. I didn't want to tell him over email."

"So you'll wait until he finds a way to get himself back here, maybe when you're big enough around that you can't hide it with a pair of spanx, and go 'oh, by the way, I'm pregnant with your baby'?"

"You make it sound so deceptive."

"If he's the father then he deserves to know he's got a child."

"And if he's not."

Gwen cringed, "Then Alex deserves to know?"

"You'd want Alex Green to lay a legal claim to my baby?"

"I'd want you to be honest with the other half of the genetic code now swirling around in your gut." Gwen pointed at Anna's abdomen. "And to be sure there's actually something floating around in there that doesn't have to be pulled out with a pair of forceps through your intestines."

"That's possibly the single-most disgusting thing you've ever said to me."

"Then consider us all even." Gwen shuddered, and jabbed her finger at her temple. "More of John in you than Alex… I'm never getting that out of my head."

"And now I'm worried that somehow I'm nurturing a parasite long enough that it's taking over my intestinal tract." Anna held her arms around herself. "What are the odds of that?"

"I went into weather patterns, not statistical analysis for a reason." Gwen offered Anna her hand. "But I'll take you to the clinic now if you want."

"I've got deliveries to make."

"And you're growing a human inside of you so maybe you should think about which is more important." Gwen put her hands up as if literally weighing the options. "Keep on a diet that's not staying down and therefore starve my unborn child of the necessary nutrients or find out that I can get prenatal vitamins that'll give all the right doses of folic acid and zinc to stop things like metal deficiency?"

"You make it sound like a tough call."

"You're the one too scared to go and get yourself an ultrasound." Gwen turned her hands so her palms were toward Anna. "Tell you what, I'll make the appointment for you, go with you, and hold your hand through it all. We find out that you're expecting and we'll celebrate with your new-found sobriety. We find out it's a parasite and we roast that sucker the moment we can tear it from your intestinal tract."

"You should've been a nurse Gwen." Anna pushed past her, "You've got the bedside manner of a hammer."

"If it gets you to the doctor then it worked." Gwen called after her as Anna grabbed her helmet and headed for the door.

* * *

John consulted the list and turned to Mrs. Patmore. "And you're sure about all of these names?"

"I've down my share of work, Mr. Bates, and these names'll suit me just fine." She extended her hand to him, shaking firmly. "It's been my pleasure doing business with you. I just wish we could've been doing it under far better circumstances."

"We can't choose how that all works out." John tapped the flashdrive on the table. "This is going to go a long way to helping me get out from under this mess."

"I've got to ask," Mrs. Patmore teethed her lip, "Whatever possessed you to want to marry that woman in the first place?"

"We make poor decisions when we're arrogant, passionate, prideful, and naïve." John shrugged, "I was all of those things at once at a time when it was very unfortunate for me to be so."

"And your ex-wife?"

"She was never any of those things." John tucked the flashdrive into his jacket pocket. "I don't know if I can express enough thanks for this."

"Nor me for this." She waved the list before standing. "This'll keep me employed for a long time you know."

"Knowing the people on that list like I do, they'll be interested in shelling out for fat spreads at all of their charity functions." John winced, "Not sure if I did you a favor, technically speaking."

"Trust me, I handle food and people about the same way." Mrs. Patmore chuckled, "I just happen to like food better."

"Don't we all?" John nodded at her, "Good day Mrs. Patmore."

"And a very good day to you, Mr. Bates."

He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets, and left the café to take the street toward his new solicitor's offices. Offices that were still a little ways distant when his phone began buzzing. Digging it out of his pocket, carefully checking both ways before dashing across the street, he put the phone to his ear.

"John Bates."

"Aren't I supposed to ask for you first?"

"Are you?" John's grin spread over his face, pausing on the pavement and ducking under an awning as a drizzle pattered its beginnings above him. "I forget the phone etiquette for those people you'd love to hear from but how call you so infrequently."

"You do realize how difficult it is to synchronize our schedules, don't you?" Her voice laughed in his ear. "I'm just getting up for the day and I thought I'd ring you. Seemed like the best way to start my day."

"Anything exciting planned for this day?"

"Gwen's got me going to an appointment but not much else."

John stopped, a furrow to his brow as he held the phone closer to his ear. "Are you… Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You sound a little…" John shrugged, "I dunno, distressed. What's the appointment for?"

"Just a checkup."

"Anything wrong?"

"That's what the checkup's for." Her tone teased but he recognized the edge to it. "I've… I've had a rough time keeping things down lately."

"And you're feeling alright?"

"Alright enough to wish you were here."

"I'd feed you broth and put you to bed."

"Oh," She trilled through the phone, "Get me all hot and bothered why don't you Mr. Bates."

"Don't play with fire. I'm in public." John hissed but a grin broke the lines on his brow. "And it's not that simple you know."

"To get me hot and bothered?"

"To take care of the ailing." John chewed the inside of his cheek. "I've done it before and it's… tiring."

"I'm potentially slightly ill, John, not dying."

"All the same…" John breathed out. "Look, I want to take to you later but I need to take something to my new lawyers. Then I'm all yours until my flight at the end of the week."

"Are you telling me that two months of waiting is almost up?"

"I do still have a commission to fulfill." John smiled in spite of himself. "And I had hoped to return to my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Anna's voice caught and then tried to play as a giggling feint but John noted the tick.

"Is that alright?" The toe of his shoe ran over a crack in the cobbles. "Because if it's not then-"

"I'm pretty sure 'girlfriend' is an adequate response for someone who videochats with you so they can have twenty-first century phone sex." The smile came back to her voice. "And I kind of like the idea of being your girlfriend."

"You don't think it's too soon?" John's laugh huffed with nerves. "Because I've not even taken you out on a proper date and I'd hate to think that we're rushing things or building a relationship on-"

"Physical attraction only?"

"That would be a serious worry of mine."

"Then let me put your mind at ease." She took a breath, "We didn't start with a shag in a club bathroom so that's above and beyond what happened with my last boyfriend."

"And I've not cheated on you so there's that."

"And I've not cheated on you." A pause on the other end of the line almost had John speaking before she started again. "John… I think I-"

"Yes?"

"You know what," The façade of chipper rang in her voice again. "I'll just wait. I'll see you in no time at all and then we'll be together for a stretch."

"I'm looking forward to it." John closed his eyes, "You've no idea how much I would rather be there than here."

"I'm sure I've got some idea since it's about as much as I want you here more than there." Anna sighed, "Have you thought about what you'll do, when you're done with the painting?"

"I haven't really but I think that's something for a longer conversation."

"You're probably right." She groaned on the other end of the line. "I've got to get going."

"Me too."

"Thank you, for taking the call."

"It's always a relief to talk to you."

"Better with picture."

"Anna…"

"And video." Her voice dropped a bit, "Do you ever record it?"

"Anna!"

"I did, after the first one. I just couldn't not have you around."

John's jaw dropped. "Did you… Did you make an illicit tape of me?"

"Don't worry, I haven't sold any copies yet."

"I can't believe you."

"Don't tell me you didn't take video of me." Her voice wavered, "Did you?"

"No I…" He sighed, "I'm not great with the camera and I didn't want to risk somehow losing the call or something."

"Then you're only excuse for not doing it is because you were worried you'd lose the chance to do it?"

"That's about the long and the short of it."

"What a conundrum." The click of her tongue against her teeth both chided and excited him. "My, my, whatever will I do with you?"

"Teach me how to use it and then return the favor."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. I need to cure you of being a luddite."

"I'm not a luddite I just don't trust myself with the finer points of technology." He kissed at the speaker. "And as much as I want to continue this conversation, I've got to go."

"I wish you didn't have to."

"Soon I go now the sooner I get my ass on a plane back to you."

"Then hurry up." She laughed a little, "And be safe. I don't want anything to happen to that ass."

"I'll make sure it's all in proper working order for you."

"Good." There was a pause on her end of the line. "I can't wait until you get here."

"Neither can I." He opened his mouth and then swallowed. "I miss you, Anna."

"I miss you too." An intake of breath on her end, as if they were both hoping the other might say something they were about to and then, "Talk to you later John."

She hung up first and he tucked the phone back into his pocket. Letting out a breath, John turned his head up and slightly out to check the weather beating a tattoo above him. When it showed no signs of letting up, he flicked up his collar and made a mad dash for the building.

* * *

Anna laid her head back on the medical table and kicked her ankles against the metal drawers. "I hate this part."

"Don't we all?" Gwen flipped another page in her magazine, "Honestly, who buys these things?"

"What things?"

"These." She turned the page to show Anna but the door opened and Anna sat up instead to face the doctor who entered the room.

He extended his hand to her, "It's been a stretch Anna."

"I was always told never to go the doctor unless you absolutely need it, to prevent bad luck of needing them more." Anna shook his hand. "And you were taken off my route Doctor Clarkson so how was I supposed to just drop by and see you?"

"It's probably because we used to just drop by that Mr. Carson took me off your rota." Doctor Clarkson smiled and took a chair. "What's the trouble that brings you in today Anna?"

"I thought it was some bad shrimp but I've been getting nauseous around certain foods lately and it's persistent but not like the way I've gotten food poisoning in the past."

"So you think it's something else?"

"Gwen's suggested a parasite and that's got my mind turned in knots."

Doctor Clarkson laughed and then cringed. "Not like it hasn't happened but I doubt that's what's wrong with you."

"I just want to be sure." Anna rubbed at her abdomen. "I'd hate to think something's growing in there."

"And that it's long enough to entangle her intestines." Anna shot Gwen a look and she buried her head in her magazine.

"I'll just get Nurse Crawley to bring in the ultrasound machine and I can tell you if there's anything unfriendly living in your gut." Doctor Clarkson stood, leaving the room but returning less than a moment later with a Nurse wheeling a cart. "The best part, she's already turned on the warmer so the gel won't be to cold."

"Simple mercies." Nurse Crawley winked at them and arranged the machine so Doctor Clarkson could operate it while Anna rolled her shirt up to her bra line. "I remember shivering at every scan I had for Matthew."

"Technology evolves for necessity first and then comfort." Anna nodded at her and then craned to see the screen as Doctor Clarkson took one of the two monitors and applied it to her stomach. "See anything yet?"

"Not as yet but I'm starting high and using the broader scanner." He continued down her torso, in even swathes, but paused around her bikini line. "Could you… Could you unbutton your jeans and push them down a bit?"

"Do I need to take my underwear or-"

"No," Doctor Clakrson shook his head, "I just need to get a little closer to your hips and the jeans will constrict too much where they are."

Anna shimmied a bit, Nurse Crawley taking her elbow when she slid a little too far toward the edge of the table, and managed to get her jeans to her midthigh. Doctor Clarkson switched scanners started over the path again, paying special attention to the area around her hips before settling up by her stomach. When the minute of silence stretched too interminably for Gwen, she spoke.

"Is there a long worm living in her or not?"

"It's not a worm."

Anna groaned, "I picked up a parasite eating bad seafood didn't I?"

"This parasite you don't get from eating seafood."

"What?" Anna tried to sit up as Doctor Clarkson pushed the monitor toward her. "What kind of parasite do you-"

"Say hello to Baby."


	9. Ever So Many Surprises

Anna blinked at Doctor Clarkson. "Baby?"

"Yes." Doctor Clarkson pointed to the screen. "There's the head and that looks like a foot to me."

He hit a few buttons, "I'll try to get some pictures but it all depends on baby's position really."

"I can't…" Anna turned to Gwen. "I've not been taking vitamins or-"

"I wouldn't worry about it." Doctor Clarkson put a hand on her arm, quieting Anna's terror. "As long as you're exercising and getting a balanced diet then Baby'll be fine. I will put you in contact with an OBGYN who can do a more thorough check than I can but, from my perspective, I think you'll be fine."

"I…" Anna cleared her throat, "I was on birth control and-"

"It's not a statistically probably event but if you lapsed and you happened to be in the right conditions then…" Doctor Clarkson shrugged. "I'd also suggest that your partner has some stronger swimmers than you're used to but that's neither here nor there at this point."

Anna could only nod helplessly for a moment before speaking in a softer voice. "Is my baby alright?"

"That I can't say, not for certain and not without caveats." Doctor Clarkson pulled a pad toward him and wrote down the information. "Doctor Ryder'll have the details you need for that."

"But you can't-"

"It's more like I won't say, Anna." Doctor Clarkson offered her a hand as she stood to get her jeans back in place. "I don't want to say something and have it be wrong. I can treat your body but I won't put you or your baby in danger by saying something I'm not qualified to comment on and be wrong."

"Thank you." Anna clutched the piece of paper as Gwen got their things. "For seeing me on such short notice and-"

"It was my pleasure, truly." His hands covered hers. "I can see you're scared but allow me a small piece of advice?"

Anna nodded, "Please."

"Take it one day at a time. You don't have to solve everything now." He patted her shoulder. "Arrange the appointment with Doctor Ryder and go from there. Let the rest take care of itself."

"Right." Anna put her hands over her abdomen as she pulled her shirt into place. "I'm having a baby."

"Yes you are and I wish you whatever congratulations you think are appropriate." Doctor Clarkson motioned to the ultrasound and then Nurse Crawley. "We'd best be on our way with this."

They left the room but Anna stood in the center of it, tugging at her fingers and playing with the hem of her shirt. Gwen's hand on her shoulder startled her but anna's breathing calmed in a moment. "What an adventure."

"I've been on a couple of those and they always made me want to throw up." Gwen pointed toward the rubbish bin. "They've got-"

Anna took the cue and wretched into the plastic-lined wastebasket.

* * *

John's whole body practically heaved with relief as he stepped off the plane. The tiny airport, feeling a bit more familiar and less exotic than his first visit, had no one waiting with signs of banners but that only made him grin. Grin with the myriad of surprised reactions his return would net him. Not that he tended toward the rambunctious or the devious but he wanted to see Anna's naked reaction to his return.

He also would not have minded her naked but that, he firmly stated to himself with his knuckles tightening on his duffle, was beside the point.

Swallowing as he removed his sunglasses from his pocket, John weaved through the crowds heading to retrieve their bags and eased himself toward the queue of taxis. The first one sported a man dozing across the front seat with his compact brawler's body tucked in the space. John knocked his knuckles against the windshield and snorted as the man flailed, his hand hitting the horn and frightening a couple crossing in the zebra stripes in front of his car.

"Sorry." He swallowed, running his hands over his shirt before sliding over to open window to extend a hand. "Just napping."

"In this heat?"

"When you've spent your whole life here it's not heat, it's natural." He eyed John, "You've got the air of the return about you."

"You can tell that by looking at you?"

"You didn't pack like a tourist but you're still complaining about the heat so you can't be a local." The driver adjusted in his seat again, pulling up the lock on the door to allow John into the back before taking his place behind the wheel. "There's just something about unfinished business that kind of wafts around your head."

"I do hope you're not a psychic."

"And if I were?"

"I might consider another cab." John pulled his belt over his body. "But, for now, I'll take the risk if you can get me to the Grantham."

"Then let me put all your fears to rest right now and tell you." The an extended a card to John and winked before starting up the car. "I can take you anywhere you need to go on this island."

"Is that right?" John quirked an eyebrow as he looked at the card. "Tom Branson? That's a bit Irish."

"My father was a bit Irish." Branson met John's eyes in the rearview mirror. "He came here a long time ago for… let's just say they weren't the most legal of reasons, and met my mother. Gave up what he could, married her, had me, and then went back to Ireland when they finally found where he'd been hiding."

"Who found him?"

"Interpol." Branson shrugged, "He's in a real nice facility in Amsterdam and he makes parole next week. He'll come back here and, hopefully, start again."

"And your mother?"

"She's excited." Branson snorted, "People in love. They're odd and they're not natural but they're what we've got and we love them all anyway."

"Are you in love?"

He shrugged, "Depends on who you ask and what day you're asking."

"Sounds about right."

"Are you in love?"

John leaned back against the seat's headrest. "I think I am but I really couldn't say for sure."

"I'm of the belief there's nothing sure about love. In idea or practice." Branson guided them through the traffic and aimed toward the hotel. "But I guess there's not much left to us if we're going to get rid of something that doesn't make sense just because it's uncomfortable."

"You're a bit of a philosopher?"

"I'm a bit of everything." Branson tugged the cab in front of the Grantham. "And I wish you luck in your quest for love."

"The same to you Mr. Branson." John dug out the money and handed it over while holding up the business card. "And I'll call you if I need you."

"Always grateful for a repeat customer. No need for the useless introductions if we're already introduced."

"Then I'll return the favor." John shook Branson's hand again. "John Bates."

"Then, Mr. Bates, I'll see you when you need a ride."

John stepped back, raising a hand in farewell as Branson's cab peeled away from the curb. Grabbing his bag, John headed into the hotel and wove to the main desk. With a tap on his fingers, getting the attention of the woman behind the counter, he went to speak when someone interrupted him.

"Don't worry about him Jane, I've got this." John turned to see Mary approaching him, her hand extended to shake his. "How nice to have you back Mr. Bates."

"Is it nice?" John smiled at Mary, "I'm sure the last time I was here we weren't exactly the best of friends."

"You helped my friend dump her loser boyfriend so I can forget whatever awkward interactions you might've initiated the last time you were here." Mary held her iPad close to her body. "Tell me, exactly what kept you away for so long?"

"Personal business that I'm sure would bore you." John pointed around the lobby. "I like the work you did here."

"Hurricane season makes life a bit difficult and it's…" Mary shrugged, "We're used to it and we've got good insurance."

"I've recently looked into getting even more insurance myself but, again-"

"The details would bore me." Mary rolled her eyes, "I've got your previous room available, if you still want that one, and I can get someone to collect your things for the work you're doing."

"That'd be helpful but, first, I think I need to go see someone."

Mary sighed, "I'm guessing you're about to ask if I know where Anna is."

"If you do-"

"Last I knew she was at home but," Mary frowned, "I remember something about Mr. Carson saying she took some time off."

"Is she alright?"

"I really don't know." Mary gestured above her head. "Then again, I've been busy here with things that would bore you."

John managed a small smile and shook his head, "I see what you did there."

"Good. I was worried you might be a bit slow."

"Depends on when I need to be."

"I'm not touching that." Mary leaned over the counter, "Jane, could I have the keycard for the room Mr. Bates stayed in when he was here last?"

"When was that?"

"Almost three months ago." John chewed on the inside of his cheek. "I've been gone longer than I intended."

"Well we're glad to welcome you back." Jane handed over the card, "Welcome back to the Grantham, Mr. Bates."

"Thank you." John nodded at Jane and then Mary. "I'll find my room myself."

"I wasn't about to offer."

"I figured I'd save you the trouble of having to give an excuse."

"I'm touched by your concern." Mary wrote something down on a small note pad and tore the paper to hand over to John. "And this is her address. I'd call first, to be polite, but otherwise I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you." John paused, "Do you really?"

"Really what?"

"Wish me luck?"

Mary shrugged her shoulders as if she were tilting back and forth a second. "Like I said, I think that you did her a great favor when you gave her the courage to dump her asshat of a boyfriend but… You did leave for three months."

"It was necessary."

"I'm not saying it's not but," Mary held up a warning finger, "Just keep that in mind before you go and expect some kind of great romantic overtures."

"I'd be the one making the overtures."

"Probably for the best." Mary smiled at him, "Have a lovely stay and please don't make too much trouble for the maids. They work hard and don't deserve too much trouble from you."

"I'll keep that in mind." John held up his keycard. "Thank you, Mary."

"You're welcome." She said without turning her head as she walked away.

John headed toward his room, breathing in the scent of the room that felt familiar and yet foreign. Almost like the sensation of visiting the same hotel chain but a room with a different configuration depending on the city. He let his bag land on the table and dug through it to find new clothes. Something to give him a better appearance when he finally went to see Anna.

The water on his skin stayed there in the humidity to mix with the sweat starting to bead over him. Finally admitting his defeat when a fifth wipe down left him just as damp, John dug around his bag for his things. Then, fighting fit and looking as good as he could manage in oppressive humidity, John took the address Mary gave him.

A ride on the back of a delivery scooter had him there shortly and John waved the driver off to take the stairs up to the house. As he raised his knuckles to knock the metal, the door opened and John gaped at Anna. She dropped her jaw and tried to find the words to speak before spluttering and shrugging.

"You're here."

"I am."

Anna crossed her arms over her chest, "Explains why you didn't pick up any of my calls."

John immediately patted himself for his phone before groaning. "I left it to charge because it was dead and I-"

"It's okay." Anna put a hand on his chest, slipping down to put her hands over his. "How are you?"

"Better now that I'm here."

"And your ex-wife?"

"I'm freed." John held up a warning finger, "For good this time, I promise."

"Good." Anna took a deep breath and then frowned, "We've never really talked about it, and if you don't want to then stop me because it's not really my business at the end of the day but-"

"She was cheating on me."

Anna blinked at him, "Someone cheated on you?"

"You cheated with me."

"I'm sure we could both agree that it might've been for the best." She shrugged, "If not then my guess is I would've been with Alex for a lot longer and might've even made the mistake of marrying him."

"It's possible." John pointed toward the interior of the house. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"I'm…" Anna sighed, "I'm actually on my way to work but you could-"

"I can go back to the hotel if that's-"

"John," Anna laughed as she put her hands on his again. "I was going to ask if you'd like to see what I do for a living."

"I'd be beyond honored."

"Good." She ducked inside a moment and came back with a bag. "We're taking Gwen's car, since Jack dropped her there this morning, and she and I'll ride back together."

"Mary said you were ill." John cringed, "Should you even be going to work?"

"I'm in a single income household John and I just found that I…" Her voice died down and John frowned.

"Found out what?"

"It's…" Anna winced, "It's not exactly the first thing I wanted to tell you when you got back."

"Tell me what?"

She blew out a breath, "I'm pregnant, John."

He blinked at her, robbed of breath and words. "What?"

"I'm pregnant and, with almost a hundred percent accuracy, I know that it's yours." Anna wrung her hands as John put a hand through his already moist hair. "I didn't want to tell you over the phone and I know we're not exactly a couple or anything so I'll understand if you-"

"You're pregnant?"

"Yes." Anna's voice slowed, as if she wanted to wait for his reaction the way someone waits for a bomb to drop. "I just had the scan… yesterday. It feels like an age ago because now I'm looking up cribs and changing tables and nappies on Amazon like it'll help me feel more prepared for this but I'm terrified because I think there's so much I'm not prepared to do about it and I haven't been eating right but Doctor Clarkson said it was fine even if that means I could have a baby that's-"

John took Anna's cheeks in his hands and kissed her. With her mouth open it made it a bit awkward at first but she melted into him. He held her close, shifting to better hold her, and when the kiss broke he wrapped his arms around her. Anna's head went to his shoulder and her sobs immediately soaked a patch on his shirt already sticking to his skin.

"I think we'd better hold off on you showing me your work."

"Yeah." Her voice was small, her fingers crushing his shirt as she held herself to him. "I don't think I'm ready to go in today."

"That's fine." John angled them and aimed for the interior of the house where an aircon provided blessed relief from the onslaught of humid air.

Closing the door, with one hand he risked away from Anna's shaking body, John angled them toward a sofa. With a bit of maneuvering he managed to get them both onto it and held Anna close until she leaned back to see him. She wiped at her eyes, the tears making tracks down her face that John helped wipe away with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and that I wasn't careful about protection and-"

"If we're going to be pointing fingers about protection then you can have it out with me about my lack of condom usage." John tried to smile but his chest constricted at the look on Anna's face. "I'm not mad, if that's what you're afraid of."

"It was, a bit." Anna confessed. "I know you're not the kind of person to be violent or… anything like that but I also know we've not known each other long and this is a huge responsibility to just throw on someone when-"

"Anna," John quieted her again, taking her hands with his, chuckling at the reversal. "The thing is, we don't know one another at all."

"And yet I feel like I know you better than I've ever known anyone before." Anna sighed, shaking her head. "This is a bit of a mess."

"It is." John quickly agreed and then sighed, "But I wasn't entirely honest with you earlier."

"About what?"

"About my ex-wife." John held up a hand, "We're divorced and she's gone. All of that is true and I wasn't lying when I first met you either. We were divorced then and now I know she's not coming back for another pound of flesh because I destroyed her options there."

"Then what's the lie?"

"The reason we divorced wasn't just because she cheated on me." John sighed, "That hurt, as it's supposed to, but it wasn't what broke us."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought we could work it out. I'd figure out what about our relationship, or me, drove her to other people and we'd mend it to be happier together."

"But you weren't?"

"Because it wasn't the only thing she lied about." John swallowed, "I found out that she had an abortion. I didn't even know she'd been pregnant and I can't honestly say it was my child but…"

"But it was something you wanted?"

"I've always wanted children. Thought I'd be a great father." John sighed, "And I know that this is terrifying. More for you than me, probably, because you've got to carry the baby but I know it's not impossible."

"Really?"

John nodded, "If you don't want to keep the baby, for whatever reason, I'd ask that you let me have it."

"What?"

"I know. It's asking for nine months of your life to be uncomfortable and hot and painful from everything I've heard but I…" John let out his breath, "It's selfish, I get that, but I don't want you to get rid of this baby if there's even a chance I could be the father."

"And that's all you'd ask?"

"It's a lot, more than I've a right to ask since this is technically all my fault, but it's what I've got to ask."

Anna nodded, "Then let me put your mind at ease and confess that I wasn't thinking about getting rid of the baby."

"No?"

"No." Anna shook her head, "I'm terrified and I don't think I can do this but I wasn't going to get rid of the baby. I realized, in the moments I was clearheaded between morning sickness, that I'd always wanted a baby too."

"Really?"

"Really." She smiled, "Maybe not quite in this way but it's something I wanted. I promise."

John whistled, "Then what do we do now?"

"You mean now that two relative strangers with pretty good sexual chemistry are having a baby they didn't plan on since they don't even live on the same side of the ocean?"

"When you put it that way then my solutions feel a little hollow."

"Any solutions," Anna intertwined her fingers with his. "Are solutions at this point. We've not got much else."

"True." John laughed and extracted a hand to run his thumb along the ridge of her cheekbone. "I wanted to tell you that… Over the phone, when we last spoke, I wanted to say that I like you… very much."

"Like me?"

"I know, it seems even more hollow than 'we'll get through this' but I can't claim any more than that." John worried his lip with his teeth, "It's what I can offer for the moment and since-"

"It's enough." Anna interrupted him, holding tightly to his hand and using her other to cover the one on her cheek. "It's enough for me right now because I like you too and I want to see where we'll go."

"I'd like to go on a date with you." John laughed with her. "A real one where I dress up the best I can in this heat and you wear whatever you want and we just enjoy food and music and whatever else there is to dating these days."

"I'd like that." Anna ran her tongue over her lip before tugging his hands to pull him to stand with her. "But there's something I think I want to do first."

"What?"

"I seem to remember," Anna tugged him behind her down the corridor to a door at the end. "That when you next saw me you wanted to run your tongue over me until you could smell and taste me."

"I did." John nodded, his hands tightening around hers to keep close when she dragged him into the room before closing the door. "And I will."

"Good." Anna pressed him against the door. "Because the extra hormones in my body are making me randier than ever."

"Are they… Do they do that?"

"They must." Anna let her fingers slip his buttons loose. "Because I can't stop thinking about you and I'm so tired of having to take care of it myself."

"I can help with that."

"I'd be miffed if you didn't." Anna lifted her hands away as John pulled her shirt over her head. "But I feel like we're going at this much too slowly."

"You're pregnant and I don't-"

"John," She put her finger over his lips. "The baby's about the same size as a lemon. It's going to be fine. I don't even know if it's conscious yet."

"I'd hate to think we were being watched."

"Or judged." Anna grinned, leaning forward and wrapping an arm around his neck. "So, do you want to make a real go of this?"

"Hell yes."

John latched his mouth to hers and relaxed as she pushed him into the door to try and force the shirt from his body. It rumpled and caught but they finally got it to the floor. It caught around their feet but John kicked it away with his shoes to slide his socks over the floor.

Anna moved with him, guiding their motions toward her bed as they worked against the humidity to get their clothes off as quickly as possible. And somehow, as they landed sideways on the bed in an undignified heap, continued their feverish kisses. Separating and rejoining, they maneuvered over the bed until John held himself over her.

It was only a moment, or perhaps an eternity, but John ran his hand over Anna's abdomen and imagined he could feel the barest hint of life there. Lowering himself carefully, John placed a kiss just above her navel before turning his gaze to Anna. "I think I've got some promises to fulfill."

"I'd say you do."

"Then," John's hands smoothed over her skin to her legs to press them wide so he could fit himself between them. "I'd best get started."

"Yes."

She barely breathed and John grinned as he blew a stream of air over her. "I think the first thing I promises was to run my tongue over you until I could smell and taste you."

With his hands holding her thighs wide enough for him, John lowered his mouth. His tongue swirled and sucked her clit until Anna cried out in agonized pleasures. Then he moved lower. Low enough to run his tongue between her folds as if he were taking a basic survey of the terrain. Terrain he mapped in detail as he continued to press deeper and deeper.

Fingers carded through his hair and raked toward his shoulders as John adjusted and licked over her. Each motion of his tongue, when he spread it flat for broad strokes that took in all of her, had her clutching at the back of her head. And when he pointed his tongue to drag through her and even tempt toward delving deep into her center, her nails scraped and dug divots into his scalp. But with the taste of her on his tongue there was nothing that bothered John.

He sucked hard at her clit again so Anna's back arched off the bed and the lightest of touches from his fingers on her nerves or center had her writhing under him. John hummed against her skin and teased her with light flicks of his tongue while his fingers set to the more focused work. "Then I think I said I'd find that spot inside you that makes you cry out."

"John!"

"I think it's right here." John's fingers thrust inside her and crooked against the patch of skin that left Anna howling toward the ceiling. "That's it. That sound you make when your breath hitches at the back of your throat. I've missed that."

Her only response was to tug his hair between her fingers and force his mouth back to her. John obeyed with vigor, digging his tongue into her with his fingers to spread her wider and wider as he continued the undulations quivering through her body at the perpetuation of her orgasm. It settled slightly but John noted the hitch in her breathing and the tremble of her thighs that led him to suck hard at her clit.

Anna panted above him, her legs tightening around his shoulders and John adjusted slightly so her knee dug into his back and chest instead of kicking at his head. The sheets slid under him and the sweat on their bodies frustrated the cause but John worked around it to added another finger inside her while dedicating his attentions to her clit and working it over as masterfully as he could with his tongue. When she climaxed this time who entire body shook and shuddered with the aftershocks.

John raised his head slightly, to meet her heavily lidded eyes as he licked at her. "Remember how I told you I'd drink whatever was left? And then maybe send you over again?"

"Yes."

"I wish I had a camera." He moaned against her skin, continuing his gentle adorations to continue the tremors of her body and turn them into soft rolls of pleasure. "I'd capture that shade of red that dusts your cheeks when you come like this."

"You said you'd-"

"Paint it, I know." John kissed up by her clit, his fingers withdrawing slowly and waited until Anna watched her to pull each one into his mouth. "There really is nothing better than watching you come."

"Please kiss me." Her fingers loosened only enough to pull his mouth to hers as she rose enough to meet him halfway.

John shifted between her legs, his evident arousal brushing her sensitive center. Her legs jerked in response and it broke the kiss. But John was not to be deterred and used her surprise to lower his head to her breasts. His tongue, already warmed up to working on her, wrapped around her nipple and tugged.

"Bloody hell." Her knees knocked against his hips and John continued, holding himself on his hands on either side of her body. "Don't stop."

She rocked against him, running her folds over him with each jerk of her hips. John thrust into the motions but kept his focus on her breasts. Each one received his undivided attention and unwavering focus. It was all he could do to stop himself driving into her with the sounds of her satisfaction in his ears and her hips shunting against his.

When her hand wrapped around him, John paused. The now red and swollen nipple dropped from his mouth and he raised his head to look into Anna's eyes. With a nod she was on her back and John spread her legs to thrust into her.

The moment froze. John remained still as her muscles clamped and clung to him. Gritting his jaw to keep himself still, a herculean effort as the flutter of her vaginal muscles squeezed him tightly, John met Anna's eyes again.

"Can I move?"

"Please do."

John set a slow pace, conscious of her body's delicacy and sensitivity. But Anna destroyed that. Her nails raked over his shoulders and dug into his side before sliding down to grasp at his ass. The notch of her leg over his hip and her raise of the other one left her wide open to John's attentions. Attentions he immediately paid to her.

Her hips constantly urged him forward. The half-moon crescents now forming a map of sorts over his skin blocking all rational thought from his head. And the noises that bounced off the walls and echoed above the thunder of blood in John's ears forced him faster and faster until he could only think of himself as pounding into her.

For a moment he wondered if he should slow. If he should take more thought for the baby growing between them. But when he tried to pull back from the frenzy, Anna's legs gripped him tighter and she forced one hand not currently scratching angry red marks down his back between them. Whatever considerations he might have had about merciless pounding were immediately replaced by his own grunts and groans when her fingers skittered over him in the effort to find her own pleasure.

And soon they did.

Shattered, and rolling to the side to avoid landing on her, John could only pant in an effort to recover the air lost to his lungs. With each breath his nostrils filled with the smell of her, of them, of sex, and of the room around them. And when his heart finally beat a regular rhythm inside his chest, John ran a hand over his face.

"I think I had my way with you." He bounced a bit on the bed as he faced her.

Anna only laughed, "If that's having your way then you're welcome to it any time. In fact, please do it again."

"You're not exhausted?"

"Exhausted for wanting you." Anna forced herself up and over John, her hands on either side of his head as she perched diagonally over his chest. "I've been waiting for you to come back for three months."

"I don't think I've got words to express how sorry I am about how that all worked out."

"Well," Anna kissed him, pulling deep and then away. "You're here now."

"Yes I am."

"Then," She kissed down his chest, her body perpendicular to his. "I might just consider doing a bit more."

'What-"

Before John could even consider how to coherently complete the question, Anna wrapped her lips around him and sucked deeply. His head dug deep into the pillow behind him and threatened to crack his neck as he pushed into the mattress so hard the tendons all popped. Her tongue ran over him and then wrapped to pull deeply before coming off with a 'pop'.

"I remember making a few promises too."

"If you don't-"

"I promise you, I do want and I will do." Anna wrapped her hand over him, stroking easily as she adjusted back toward his face to kiss him again. "I wanted to send you over with my mouth first. Because you liked my tongue, remember."

"I like more than your tongue. I like all of you."

"That's sweet." Anna kissed him again, "But not the point at the moment."

"You're not being kind." John whined and Anna only laughed and kissed back down his chest to where his erection thickened and straightened in her hand.

"It'll be kind in a moment." Anna laid kisses in a circle around the root before tracking to the tip where her tongue darted into the little slit. "I promise I'm not that cruel."

"How cruel is that?"

"To leave you straining and aching." Anna pouted over him before shallowly taking him to taunt and tease the tip. "It's just an exploratory experience for me."

"It'll be better if you…" John hauled in a ragged breath, "Later, when I'm not so… When I've calmed and-"

"You drove me to madness a few minutes ago and I want to return the favor." Anna flashed him a smile, "I believe in fairness."

John scrunched his eyes closed so hard his brain hurt. But if he watched her suck him down, edging toward her throat and pulling deeply to tighten her muscles around him in the closest recreation of her vagina he ever experienced, he would break right there. And for as much as he thought Anna might take great pride in drinking him down and then reveling in her skill, she was right about something else.

It had been too long.

John's hand failed out and found her leg. He skated up it, painting the picture in his mind of the perfect line of her body as he tracked her skin. When he reached her ass he massaged and kneaded it until she groaned around him. The vibrations of her throat sent his teeth clacking together and John paused his work to focus on getting himself under control.

When he did, by the grace of some god he would profusely thank at a later time, John managed to grasp Anna's leg and drag her around toward him. She flailed a second, releasing him from her mouth, and then moaned as he adjusted one leg on one side of his head and took the other to hold her in place. As they settled against one another, John finally opening his eyes to look up at the vison above him, he darted out his tongue and they began anew.

She came almost too quickly. But John used her responsiveness to try for a second climax as she struggled to keep her focus on his arousal. An arousal that offered no reprieve when she eventually raised her dripping center away from John.

He reached for her but she scooted down his body, leaving a trail behind, and rose onto her knees to position them just right. John caught the glint in her eye as she watched him over her shoulder while sinking over him. For all his will power, John's eyes rolled back into his head and his fingers crumpled in the sheets under him after he watched as long as he could.

The pace was not frenzied or hurried. Slow rocks and slides set the tempo for a gentle perusal of their mutual pleasure. But when John twitched inside her, his hands settling on her hips for some grip on the world that locked around him with the scorching softness only found in this situation, Anna rose to the occasion.

Rose and slammed back down. Gyrated and rocked. Bounced and bobbed to the beat of their hurried breaths. And finally came with her fingers slipping in front of her. John could only guess, with only her back visible from his position, she brought herself over the edge but the touch of her fingers on him as she managed the art of self-care told him as much. And given the marathon that was the whole arrangement so far, John followed her over the edge soon afterward.

They collapsed together. Tangled and intertwined, John helped Anna back to the head of the bed. There they stared at one another until Anna's eyelids fluttered and she soon fell asleep. Before he knew it, his eyes fixed on her and his fingers brushing through her hair, John followed her.

* * *

Anna cracked her eyes open and smiled at the sight of half of John's face. The other half was buried in one of her pillows with the sheets tangled uselessly around his legs. Her eyes flicked to the sight of his naked body stretched and prone on her bed but the buzzing of her phone distracted her from him.

With a swift kiss to his forehead, one that only wrinkled his skin but did not wake him, she got out of bed and found her phone. "Anna Smith."

"This is Terrance Sampson, from the lab. We're calling in regards to the paternity test you filed for and we've got the results of your blood work."

"Really?" Anna turned over her shoulder toward the clock. "It's early for that."

"We're a twenty-four-hour facility ma'am. If it's convenient we'll set another time for you to come and pick up your things. We've got-"

"No," Anna shook her head, standing quickly to find all the components of her clothing. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"They'll be waiting for you at the front desk."

"Perfect."

Anna hurried to gather her things, scribbling a note to John she left on the nightstand, and hurried out the door.


	10. Lost in the Shuffle

John buttoned his shirt, frowning at the knock on the door. "Anna, it's your room so you can-" He turned and froze as he came face-to-face with a redhead. "You're not Anna."

"Neither are you." She looked him over, "I hope you're the father."

"Don't we both."

"Not that I mind that Anna's finally getting her leg over again, but why are you here when she's not?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"I live here."

"No, I…" John tucked his shirt into his trousers and grabbed the note from the nightstand to hand over to the woman. "I'm trying to find out where Anna is. She left this note saying she had some things to pick up but that was about an hour ago and my phone's charging at the hotel so…"

"I came here looking for Anna." The woman held up her phone. "She tried to call me about an hour ago as well but I can't get her back. I was hoping she'd gone back to sleep or something."

"Or something." John nodded, his brow furrowing. "Something about this feels off."

"You don't say." She dialed a number, "Yes, Mary Crawley please."

"Why are you-"

Holding up a finger to stop him talking, the woman waited another moment before speaking. "Yes, tell her it's Gwen Dawson. I'm calling about Anna Smith."

"What-" John frowned but Gwen kept her finger up until the line connected.

"Mary? Yeah this is Gwen. I'm standing here with a big guy who claims that anna left a note and said she was coming back but he's here and she's not so-" Gwen looked over him. "About six foot something with dark hair. Looks like he could bar brawl but I'd say maybe two hundred pounds."

She frowned and then made a huffing noise, "No, I didn't get his name. I was a little worried that Anna didn't respond to my texts and given she's got an ex who's absolutely garbage… No, I get that but… Fine. I'll let you know."

Gwen hung up the phone and extended a hand, "Sorry, I skipped the introductions."

"Seems like you did." John eyed her hand, "Why were you suspicious of me?"

"Because my best friend and co-worker is pregnant with the baby of a man I've never met after breaking up with her rubbish boyfriend. I'm sure it wouldn't be too far outside of the realms of possibility to suggest that the skeazy ex-boyfriend might've had something to do with her not answering her phone."

"You think he'd do something to her?"

Gwen sighed, "Mr. Bates… I'll assume that's your name."

"It is."

"Good." Gwen took a breath, "Alex Green always claimed to be a banker and since Anna was dating him at the time I did a bit of digging into a man who took frequent trips to Miami while living on an island that's also a tax shelter."

John opened his mouth to speak, "What?"

"I'm sure you're guessing where I'm going with how Green might've managed to get himself a nice little nest egg right?" Gwen waited but John shrugged, "I thought you used to be a lawyer."

"I recommended against tax shelters."

"But you'd understand why a banker might be involved in some… less than reputable work right?"

John paused, holding up a finger, "In the bathroom, in Miami." Gwen cringed but John waved her away. "Not that."

"Look, Anna's told me a lot and if-"

"No," John held up a hand, closing his eyes as he tried to remember. "It was Green. He came into the bathroom and he was on his phone. He told someone…"

His palm planted in his forehead as if it could help him remember. "Barrow. The man on the other end of the line was Barrow. And he was very interested in Green being on the island." John opened his eyes. "And there was something about it being awkward if they met. There was something he had to handle when he got back to the island and Barrow had to remind his boss that Green was as good as his word."

Gwen whistled, "I'm actually surprised you remember anything if you were doing in the bathroom what I know you were doing." John shot her a look and Gwen raised her hands in surrender. "No judgment, I think relationships need to stay interesting so I try to shake up the places my fiancé and I do it."

"As lovely as that is to know, who is Barrow?"

Gwen shrugged, "For all the research I did on Green I never came across that name. If he's someone Green's dealing with then he's a middle man. Those guys keep their fingers in a lot of pies but their names out of them."

"How'd you know so much about this business?"

Gwen shrugged, "My family was big on the smuggling business a long time ago and, for reasons I'm still trying to understand, I've got an aunt in it now. She'd know a thing or two about a guy named Barrow if he's a player though. They'd move in the same shadowy circles."

"You've got family in the smuggling business?"

Gwen nodded, "I'm not proud of it but I did get heavily discounted rum for a bit party last year so I can't say I haven't benefitted from the lack of morals on my mother's side of the family." She patted her hair, "It's where I got the red hair too so there could be something to that."

"Could we meet with these people?"

"Woah," Gwen put up a hand to stop John as he grabbed the rest of his clothes to head out the door. "We don't even know if anything's happened to Anna."

"You're the one talking about smugglers."

"I just said that's why I'm leery about Green." Gwen blinked at him, "Are you thinking something more serious happened?"

"I…" John sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. "Look, could you take me back to the hotel. Maybe she left a message on my phone."

"That sounds like a much better plan." Gwen opened the door to usher him out. "And we can talk with Mary."

"Why would we talk with Mary?"

"Because Mary's got a friend named Tony who did some research on Green."

John stopped, "Why would Mary do-"

Gwen cringed, her jaw flexing. "Green may or may not've been… abusive in the relationship."

"Excuse me?"

"Look," Gwen put her hands on John's chest to stop him. "Mostly it was neglect. Emotional and physical but there were times, when he was frustrated or angry, when there were some bruises afterward. Mary and I worried but Anna convinced me it was fine and while I didn't believe her it was her choice and-"

"What'd Mary find?"

"I dunno." Gwen shrugged, "She never told me."

"Why not?"

"Because Mary handles problems by suing them or burying their futures in legal troubles. I would've taken a baseball bat to the bastard's junk." Gwen let her hands fall. "If Green is involved I promise you a lick in. If he's not then we're blowing this out of proportion and Anna's off somewhere."

"Where would she go?"

"What'd her note say?"

John went back to the nightstand, snagging the note and gave it to Gwen as he worked on his socks and shoved his feet into his shoes. "Said she had an errand to run and then she'd be right back."

Gwen frowned at the note and then looked to the ceiling as if trying to calculate something. "The paternity test."

"What?"

"Anna was worried about the statistical probability that the baby might be Green's." Gwen shook her head, "She was sure not but she wanted to be a hundred percent sure."

"And?"

"Well I've not asked the people have I?" Gwen clacked her teeth together. "I do know where the lab is though. We could swing by it on our way to your hotel."

"And maybe meet Anna halfway?"

"Maybe." Gwen motioned for John to follow her. "I'll drive."

They wove over the winding island roads toward the lab, Gwen managing the roads with all the expertise of someone who drove them forever. John's fingers drummed on the side of the door, running a finger along his teeth as he did so, and noted Gwen staring at him from the corner of his eye. "What?"

"You're pretty nervous."

"I just learned that the woman carrying my child has an ex-boyfriend who's not only a wanker but also possibly connected with illegal activity."

"If it's activity out of Miami then it's probably drug money and it's cartel work." Gwen winced, "Okay, when I say it out loud it sounds a lot worse than I imagined that phrase going in my head."

"How'd that go in your head?"

"Well," Gwen's whole body compacted as she managed a shrug. "It's not as easy as all that."

"Why not?"

"On islands like this that's what you expect."

"What you expect?" John shifted in his seat. "Why would you think it's something you should expect?"

"We've got small governments, post-colonial corruption, loose affiliations to larger nations, and an economy driven by tourists that think the whole island is sun and sand. We're living in a climate where you expect to get pounded by hurricanes for six to seven months of the year and so you prepare to rebuild your life every year." Gwen shook her head, "Having some sleazy people use the island as a tax shelter or noting the drug trade moves through on the smuggling routes through your country is something you learn to accept."

John thumped in his seat. "And Anna dating someone who's abusive and possibly involved with the kind of people who execute their opponents with bags over their heads is just something that's okay?"

"No one ever said it was 'okay', first of all. Second, you can only help someone out of a relationship when they're ready to commit to being saved. Lastly," Gwen parked in the lot for the lab. "You're not actually a part of her life, in an official capacity, so this really isn't your business."

John opened his mouth as if to speak and then nodded. "You're right."

"That being said," Gwen opened her door, "I am a bit grateful you're here. Makes the intimidation part of this easier."

They went into the lab, Gwen knocking her knuckles on the counter in front of a man with a receding hairline but a smooth face. John stood just behind Gwen as she leaned on the overhanging shelf to speak at him. "Morning."

"Morning?" He frowned, "Are you here for a pickup?"

"Yes and no, actually." Gwen flicked her gaze toward John and then smiled at the man. "I'm wondering an Anna Smith stopped by here earlier."

"Yes." The man shifted in his seat and John's eyebrow quirked. "She came by about two hours ago."

"See, that's the thing." Gwen leaned entirely on the counter now, her arms crossed under her. "It only takes about fifteen minutes to get here from my place, where she's staying, and she's been gone for two hours. Do you see my dilemma?"

"I don't know anything about it."

"Did she say anything to you?" John stepped forward, frowning at the sweat beading on his hairline. "Like where she was going or anything?"

"I'm the man behind the counter," He shifted in his seat, the chair squeaking and making him shudder. "I don't know anything about it."

"I think I know something odd about it." Gwen lifted herself off the edge of the counter. "It takes five days to a week, on average, to get the results of a paternity test. That means she couldn't be here two days later to get the results."

"I don't-"

Before John could move Gwen had vaulted the counter and kicked the man back in his chair. He hit the floor and she kneeled on his chest while pulling his tie tight against his throat. "I work as a scientist that studied weather patterns but I went to school after I served in the Royal Marines so do not test me when I ask you the next question, understand?"

The man choked a bit as Gwen's hold on his neck flexed. "Did someone hire you to call Anna Smith and tell her to come and pick up a paternity test?"

"Yes." He gasped out and Gwen loosened her hold slightly.

"Who?"

"Guy with good hair." Gwen yanked on the tie and the man wheezed. "Cold blue eyes perfectly set hair, and a good jaw. Caucasian man about six foot. Had a British accent."

Gwen released him. "Not Green then." The man shook his head and Gwen craned over her shoulder. "Alright… Terrance… I'll let you off with a warning this time. Next time you do something this stupid I'll break your fecking neck. Understand?"

Terrance nodded and Gwen stood up. "Did they pay you?"

"A grand."

"What else did you do for them?"

"I only called her to get her here." Terrance moved, sliding backward to get off the chair and put his back to the cabinets behind him. "She came toward the doors but someone grabbed her before she entered the building. I don't know who."

Gwen frowned and looked up at the corners, pointing. "Cameras?"

"Only the one at the front door."

"Tape." She held out her hand and flexed her fingers, "Now, please."

Terrance practically pissed himself moving fast enough to give her what she wanted. When the flashdrive was in her hand Gwen exited the counter space and winked at him. "Change your trousers Terrance and keep your nose clean."

John stared at Gwen as she walked back toward the doors and hurried to follow her. "What the hell was that?"

"That was the kind of thing that happens when you don't keep your eye on the ball." Gwen yanked a hand through her hair. "This is why I knew they should've picked someone else."

"What?"

"I…" Gwen sighed, "I'm a private contractor working with the DEA. They've been trying to locate the money cache here. I thought the best way was through Green and now-"

John grabbed her arm but Gwen took his hand and bent the wrist. "Don't touch me."

"Did you put Anna in danger?"

"Sod off." She let him go, shoving him away. "And feck you for even thinking that I'd do that. I'm a lot of things but I'd never sell out my oldest friend. Even if it meant I'd get Green."

"Then how'd you get involved with it?"

"I told you, I've got family on the wrong side of the law." Gwen pointed to the car. "I think it's time we get Mary's help on this."

"What can Mary do?"

Gwen blinked at him. "She runs the biggest hotel on the island that caters to the most expensive people. Do you really thing she's not got her own files on the type of scum that crawl through her door?"

"And she's got the information on Green?"

Gwen snapped her fingers and pointed at John. "Now you're thinking."

John eyed the building and noted the camera. "Do you think it caught the people who took Anna?"

"We're going to find out." Gwen knocked on the roof of her car. "Get your ass in the car so we can go. We've got to find Anna."

* * *

Anna opened her eyes and then shut them immediately as light seared her brain. She cracked an eyelid to try and tell where she was. One of her hands went to her head but the bite in her wrist brought the other one with it and Anna noted the ziptie keeping her wrists tight together.

Trying to twist sideways, she whimpered at a pain in her shoulder. Another shift had her sideways against a wall with her eyes half-cracked to try and get a better handle on her situation. The palm to her head tracked from her throbbing temple to the angry pain at her neck. Her fingers traced the area and Anna wished she could crane her neck to confirm the possible presence of an injection site.

"I'm sorry for the roughness, that wasn't polite." Anna scooted back as more light blinded her but she ran into the corrugated wall. "And for your current predicament."

Anna raised her hands to try and shield her eyes as a door ground on metal hinges to close. She blinked as the light decreased to the three bulbs hanging from the indie of what she now recognized as a shipping container. Focusing on the man before her, all jowls and brawling body, he crouched in front of her.

"It's good to finally meet you Ms. Smith."

"How do you know me?"

"I know everything about Alexander's life." His accent lilted in a way Anna could not immediately place, making her frown. "Which leads me to also apologize for the three floozies he had on the side. If it makes you feel a bit better I'll tell you that one of them was mine. A plant to track his movements."

Anna's brow only furrowed deeper. "Alex and I aren't together anymore."

"No?" He hummed, "Humph, I guess I don't know much about his life lately. But the thing is, it's hard to know the intimate details about a man who's on the run."

"On the run?" Anna shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

"It couldn't have escaped your notice, Ms. Smith, that Alexander's not involved in legitimate business."

"I had a feeling." Anna swallowed, "But who are you? What do you want with me? Why am I here?"

"My name is Craig." He shrugged, "My English name since I don't think you'd do my real name any justice."

"You're right," Anna took a risk, "I don't speak Russian."

His eyebrows rose and he snorted, "You are smart. I'll be honest, I didn't believe Alexander could find himself someone with any brains but he found you."

"I'd say the opposite would have to be true since I dated him."

Craig put up his hands, "I make no judgment. It's not my business either way."

"Then what is your business?" Anna pointed to herself with her ziptied hands. "With me, that is. I don't care about whatever else you do."

"You don't?"

"No." Anna shook her head. "Alex and I aren't together so I don't care what he's doing or what you've got against him. His knees are his own business and yours if you're planning on busting them or something."

"How very cinematic." Craig slapped his hands on his knees and Anna jumped slightly as he stood. "But I'm not here about kneecaps or shattering them. I'm here about the money he stole from me."

"I don't have it."

"I wouldn't think so. He's not so generous." Craig looked her over. "But my question, Ms. Smith, is whether or not he'll come for you."

"I haven't seen Alex since Miami when I dumped his ass."

"A good move, if I do say so myself." Craig put his hands in his trouser pockets and paced in front of Anna a moment. "But perhaps he'd be tempted to come back for you."

"I don't even know where he is. I moved out of his house, I deleted his number, I erased all memory of him that I could." Anna shuddered, "He's not involved in my life and I'm not involved in his."

"Then tell me," Craig crouched in front of her again. "Are you carrying his child?"

Anna blanched, "He always insisted on condoms. We never did it without them and I was on the pill."

"I may not count English as my first language but I recognize a past tense verb." He laughed, "Verbs, such funny things in language. In Chinese there is no past tense so you have to relate the verb to relative action in terms of completion. In Russian it's far more complicated. In Spanish you've got to conjugate your verb based on the relative competition of the action and on to whom it happened."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you were at a clinic where they run tests for PCR, the most common way to ascertain the DNA of a sample. Samples used to find paternity."

"I was having sex with someone else."

"But there's still a chance or you wouldn't be waiting on a paternity test." Craig stood and dug into his pocket for a phone. "Give me a minute please."

Anna swallowed as the phone rang and the garbled voice on the other end answered. "Hello?"

"Thomas, I need you to put out some feelers for Alexander using a bit of information I just acquired." Craig turned to look at Anna, "The only information we'll need from Ms. Smith here."

"What information?"

"She's pregnant and there's a chance the baby is Alexander's." Craig managed a smile, "I think he might be a bit curious about his progeny. Make sure the rumor gets around to the right people and get a finger on your feelers."

"Yes sir."

Craig closed the phone and dug in his other pocket to remove Anna's phone. He tapped something on his phone and then handed both to her as the door at the end of the shipping crate opened and three men entered. Anna shrank back from them but Craig took her hands and wrapped her hands around them.

"These are for you."

"And them?" Anna nodded at them and Craig shrugged them off.

"They're just here to make sure you follow my instructions."

"They won't-" Anna's eyes darted to them and then to the phones in her hand as Craig made a noise.

"I'm many things, Ms. Smith, but I don't hold with rape. They won't harm you. They won't even lay a finger on you."

"How do you know?"

"Because," He pointed to the corners of the crate and Anna noted the cameras there. "If they touch you then I'll know. I'll hunt them down and kill them after I kill every living blood relative they have in front of them."

Craig stood, "I'm a man of my word and I'll let no one break that word."

"Then why give me these?" Anna held up the phones. "What do I do with them?"

"I set a timer on my phone. When it rings my phone will no longer work. By that time I'll be far enough away from here that you can't tell anyone anything about me." He tapped her phone. "With the expiration of my phone the jammer blocking your phone will also deactivate and you'll be able to call for help."

"From here?"

"They'll open the door, untie you, and let you out." Craig nodded at the men. "And this will all be a big misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?"

"Yes." Craig sighed, "My deepest apologies for this. But sometimes you've got to break eggs to make omelets."

"I don't cook that often."

"Well I do." Craig nodded at her, "Good day Ms. Smith. Remember, wait until the timer goes off."

He left the crate and Anna finally looked at the phone timer, watching the time tick down.


	11. The Man with a Plan

John paced the room as Mary hung up the phone. "He'll be here soon."

"Who?"

"My friend." Mary pointed at Gwen, frowning out the window at the approaching storm already dribbling rain on the windows but threatening a lashing. "Her friend first but my friend now."

"He's your bedfellow." Gwen snorted, "You two are shagging like rabbits and I know it."

"What Henry and I do in our spare time is our business."

"Yeah, keep it that way." Gwen turned back to face the room. "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."

"It's your plan." Mary rocked her chair back and forth, "And Henry's good for whatever this throws at him."

"Says the two of you." John folded his arms over his chest, rocking on his heels. "Anything could happen."

Mary narrowed her eyes on him, "Not to be rude-"

"She's about to be very rude." Gwen hissed but Mary waved her off.

"But you barely know Anna. Your investment in her is, for all intents and purposes, rather recent."

"It doesn't make it less valuable than yours." John paced again, his arms tightening around his chest as if that could contain his emotions. "I'd argue I'm even more invested than either of you."

"To be fair," Mary held up a finger, "You don't actually know the baby was yours. The paternity test hasn't come back yet."

"Do you really think Anna could carry sperm from that scrub?" Gwen scoffed and the met the eyes of the other two people in the room. "What? It's not like a pansy-ass like that has an evolutionary chance."

"Be that as it may," Mary shuddered and then turned back to John. "Trust that we're all looking out Anna's best interests. And, for the moment, that includes Henry's services."

"I could feel my ears burning." A lanky man entered the room and immediately extended a hand to John. "Henry Talbot, security expert."

"Isn't that the phrase someone uses when they're working in the soldier-for-hire business?" John shook Talbot's hand and the man smiled broadly at him.

"Well spotted. I give you top marks for that." He pulled back his hand to hug Gwen. "And what kind've of trouble've you gotten yourself into lately?"

"Not as much as my friend apparently." Gwen pounded his back and drew away a step. "I didn't expect to call you out for something like this."

"I was on island anyway." He winked at Mary, "Mary, how are you?"

"Professional."

Talbot pouted, "And no fun where other people are around." Mary did not respond as Talbot clapped his hands together. "Get me up to speed. What kind of situation do we have here?"

"Snatch and grab." Gwen turned the laptop to show Talbot the camera recording of Anna's abduction.

The set of Talbot's jaw instantly changed the affable charm in his smile to a firm focus on the screen. "Injection?"

"If they'd had access to the lab they've know her body weight and blood type." Gwen stuck her hands in her pockets. "They used the man at the front desk to lure here there."

"So we can assume he provided the information for cash and he knows nothing about his side hustle employers?"

"He knew the man who hired him was British and blue eyes and dark hair." Mary produced a sketch, "Match anyone you know?"

Talbot studied the sketch before shaking his head. "Can't say we've had the pleasure but there's still time."

Someone knocked on the door and Gwen straightened. "That might be someone who can give us an introduction." She crossed the room and opened the door to allow in a woman with a pinched face and a ginger-headed man whose hair practically brushed the ceiling. "Allow me to introduce-"

"Sarah O'Brien." Talbot trilled, "I can't say which I'd like to do more right now. Shake your hand or put cuffs on you."

"We're all here for the same purpose so I'd suggest you not be so ambitious with the second until you've done the first." O'Brien extended her hand, "I'm here as a favor to Gwen and nothing else."

"And your assistant?" Talbot looked the man up and down. "He reach all the high shelves for you?"

"Alfred's my nephew and he's very good at what he does." She patted his arm. "Now, how can we help?"

"What's the price?" Mary raised an eyebrow and started the staring contest between she and O'Brien. "If I know anything about the operation you run, this isn't going to come cheap."

"Gwen's already agreed to a price and we'll keep that between us." O'Brien caught sight of the drawing on the desk. "Which one of you knows Thomas?"

Everyone else stood taller, crowding the table as O'Brien picked up the sketch. Mary pointed at the paper, "You know him?"

"We've run in some of the same circles." O'Brien frowned. "He actually just let out a bit of information that he wanted circulated."

"Why?" John interrupted and O'Brien eyed him up and down before sneering at him. "What kind of information?"

"One question at a time." She put the sketch back on the table. "He wants to find Alex Green because his boss wants a word or two with Mr. Green."

"I doubt words are what they're exchanging." Gwen snorted.

O'Brien just shrugged. "What Mr. Craig wants with Green is neither here nor there as far as I'm concerned. Neither of them mean anything to me and I don't do business with them."

"Why not?" John pressed and O'Brien chuckled.

"You've got a live one here. If I didn't know better I'd ask if you're wearing a wire." She sniffed, "But suffice it to say, I don't work with men running drugs or money to cartels. Especially when those men are large Russians or sound like Russians. I keep well clear of that kind of business."

"So Mr. Green's working with the Russians?" Talbot pulled out a tablet and noted something with speedy fingers. "Interesting."

"Green's working for himself and always has been." O'Brien shook her head, "It's why I've never worked with him. You can't trust a man who'll turn you for a small profit. I've got bigger fish to fry than his skinny ass."

"What was the information Thomas here wanted circulated?"

"Mr. Barrow was sending out a message that Mr. Craig had Mr. Green's girlfriend and child in custody." Alfred finally spoke, his voice low and timid until O'Brien just shrugged. He gained confidence as he went. "Mr. Barrow's approach was to offer an exchange for Green to get his girlfriend and child back."

"Then this… Craig has Anna?" John turned to Talbot. "What do you know about a Craig?"

"If he's the one I'm thinking then he's…" Talbot winced, "He's one of the odd ones out there."

"Odd ones?" John pressed and Talbot rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"He's got this code of honor. He'll keep his word as long as you do. But if you violate your agreement or you try to double cross him he'll slaughter every relative you have in front of you before leaving you to bleed out." Talbot shook his head, "I've seen the scenes after one of those and… I didn't sleep for a week."

"Is Anna safe?"

"With him?" Talbot puffed out a burst of air. "If she's smart she'll be honest with him and give him what he wants."

"What he wants?"

Talbot put up a hand at what John assumed was the abject fear on his face. "He's not the kind to assault or injure his prisoners. He'll respect her because, as I said, he's got a code. And a wife who, if I heard correctly, almost blinded him when she thought he might've cheated on him."

"Imagine a guy like that marrying a woman scarier than him." Gwen scoffed, "It's like Deathstroke in real life."

"What's a Deathstroke?" Mary frowned but Gwen shook her head.

"How do we find him?" John insisted but both Talbot and O'Brien shook their heads vigorously.

"You don't find a man like that." O'Brien spoke first, "You hope he never finds you, for any reason, and you stay as far outside his radar as you can manage."

"She's not wrong," Talbot pointed a finger at O'Brien. "Our best hope is to find where he's keeping Anna and extract her."

"Is that safe?"

"Clearly Craig's after Green and Anna, for all intents and purposes, is just collateral." Talbot shrugged, "If we had a way of tracking the people who took Anna we could find where he's keeping her."

"And what'll Craig do?"

"Hopefully skin Green alive for us." Gwen shrugged and turned the laptop toward O'Brien. "Any ideas?"

O'Brien and Alfred watched the video before facing one another. Alfred swallowed and tapped the screen above one of the men. "I know him. He's bought from us before, under the table. He's got his vices. We could find him and-"

"Why not just trace Anna's phone?" Mary interrupted them all and held up her hands, palms toward the ceiling. "She has it on her in the video."

"Must've been when she tried to call me." Gwen speared her hand through her hair before pulling it back from her face to tie up. "She didn't drop it there."

"Craig's too sophisticated for any of the phone dropping or leaving." O'Brien shook her head, "He's a man of substance and style."

"It almost sounds like you admire him, Ms. O'Brien." John tried to keep the bite of accusation out of his voice but O'Brien just laughed.

"It's not a crime to appreciate art and grace in motion, Mister…" She frowned, "Who are you?"

"John Bates, the real father of Anna's baby."

"He thinks." Mary clarified.

"I know." John glared at Mary and then face O'Brien. "I want them both back, unharmed, and I'll do whatever I have to so I can help find her."

"Then a phone trace wouldn't be a bad idea." Alfred shrugged, "Trying to break one of the men isn't an exact science and, if my aunt's correct, then she'll still have her phone."

"I don't think it'll be as easy as hoping the battery's not dead." Talbot rubbed his chin. "Is Craig one for sophisticated jammers?"

"Thomas was looking into some technology like that last year." O'Brien drummed her fingers on the table. "I made a referral and a commission on the sale. If Craig's not traded up for a new model I could assume it's a standard radius jammer. Block the signals out but not in."

"To keep him in contact with people?" Talbot made another note.

"To make sure he's the one controlling the traffic in the area." O'Brien straightened. "And I know he's got people all over this island. If he's taken her off it then it wouldn't be too hard."

"We'll assume a local sweep first." Talbot raised a hand toward John, "There's no reason to move her. It's too many questions, even with his helpers, and too much work. He seems a man of simple tastes."

"Refined." O'Brien cut in, "And I believe that fulfills my end of the bargain."

"It does." Gwen extended her hand to O'Brien and then Alfred. "Thank you for all your help. You've got about twelve hours to get your… things moved. It was all I could get you."

"It's enough for us." O'Brien tapped Alfred's shoulder, "Come on. We've got work to do. No more dillydallying."

As they left Alfred turned to John and offered a hand. "If there was anything else I could do to help-"

"Thank you, Alfred." John shook his hand. "You've been more than helpful."

"I wish you luck." Alfred addressed the room, "All of you."

As they left a crash of lighting made John jump and finally heard the lashing whip of rain against the windows and noted the breaking crash of the waves on the beach. "What'll this storm do to the signals?"

"Depends on what you're using to try and trace signals." Talbot played with his tablet. "Based on O'Brien's description I'm narrowing the bands of possible area where a jammer like that is being used and trying to get a lock on Ms. Smith's phone."

"You've got the toys for that?" Gwen leaned over his shoulder and Talbot winked at her.

"When you finally go private you will too."

"Focus," Mary snapped her fingers. "We're trying to find Anna here."

"Well, unfortunately," Talbot motioned towards the chairs. "All we can really do, right now, is wait."

"Wait?" John thrust his hand toward the storm. "She could be out in that."

"Could be but what help are we to here blindly and mindlessly running hither and yon trying to locate her?" Talbot set up the tablet with the laptop and configured a few more wires so the search projected itself on the large screen in Mary's office. "For now we need to be patient and allow the program to do its job. We can't ask any more of ourselves or it than that."

* * *

Anna twisted her wrists again, noting the way the ziptie pulled at her skin but also how it strained. A distant memory of television helped her worry the plastic until the black now appeared white at two points. The phones in her hands knocked against one another as the three men milled aimlessly around the crate. Even with the distance they kept, the suffocating sensation when one of them passed her on his loops had Anna tugging her legs toward her and straining her wrists against the tie.

It cut into her skin and she grimaced but kept a watch on both the timer ticking down with the rapidly counting hundredths almost dizzying her. She blinked away and glanced again at her phone to note the lack of signal. Another bit to go and then she would be free. But free where?

She shook her head and only glanced up a moment as the lights flickered. When the did so again the men at the other end of the crate murmured. The electricity settled as one of the men banged his hand against the corrugated metal wall.

"I'm sick of this shit!"

"Shut up!" Another one of them hissed, "You want to get us all killed?"

"You don't actually believe that bullshit about him watching us through those cameras do you?" The first man flipped the bird with both hands toward one corner of the crate. "Like he's got time to watch his little peep show from onboard his jet or whatever he's flying off this rock."

"It's not something we need to worry about." The last man tried to grab the arm of the first but he wrenched away. "It's not too long now. We just wait and then let the girl go. Simple."

"Simple?" The first man pointed his finger toward the roof as the rain splattering it thundered and rang inside the metal can. "It's pouring out there and here we are, bored out of our skulls, watching a pretty thing like that go to waste."

He winked at Anna and then made a kissing expression. "What about it? I know you were with Green so you think you want to try a real man?"

Anna only pulled up her nose in disgust and shifted away from him to keep pulling at the ziptie. The other two men laughed and the first kicked at a wooden crate. "Fine bitch. Be that way."

"It's not like she's not wrong." The second man nudged the third. "Tell him."

"He's got a point." The final man agreed, "You're not much to look at. Green's no Adonis or whatever but he's still at least two grades above you."

"Who the hell is Adonis?" The first one started and then waved them. "Sod you two. And sod anyone who thinks I couldn't get with that over there."

The lights flickered again, this time straining at the edges to stop the brownish glow going black. All three men tensed and then shuddered as the sound of rain on the roof now resembled hailstones or golf balls. Anna checked the timer, willing it to run faster, and finally snapped the ziptie.

Then the lights went out completely. The timer rang and Anna flipped her phone to dial as quickly as she could. But just as the call connected her phone knocked from her hand. She scrambled for it, throwing Craig's phone in the direction of the noise that came toward her, and tried not to feel the moment of satisfaction at the yelp from her missile making contact.

But just as she reached the phone, going to pull it to her ear to hear Gwen's reassuring voice, it slammed against the wall and cracked. A hand at her wrist knocked the phone against the wall again to shatter in her hands. The lights came back on and Anna met the full force of the flat of a hand slapping her face.

She knocked sideways, into another wooden crate, and tried to crawl away. The man charged after her, pinning her a moment before the other two men tackled him to the ground. One of their legs kicked out in the scuffle and knocked Anna in the chin. She tumbled into another crate, trying to stay balanced, and met the wild haymaker of the first man in the gut.

They all fell in a tangle as Anna tried to keep her vision clear and hands off her as the quartet struggled and scrabbled against one another. The first man got his hands on her a moment, wild elbows flying in the faces of his fellows, and gripped Anna's face in his hand as he pressed her to the floor. She slapped against him, hissing and spitting and sobbing in her struggle.

"I think it's time someone taught you a lesson."

"Got the feck off her." The third man looped an arm around his neck and hauled the first man away, knocking his head hard enough against the metal wall to drop him to the floor. He turned to Anna, "Are you-"

The look on his face, the wide-eyed horror there, had Anna looking down and then screamed. Pain, no longer blocked by adrenaline, blossomed through her like the blood leaking over her jeans and onto the metal floor. When the second man cam to investigate he grabbed the shirt of the third man.

"What the hell man?"

"I don't know." The third man drove a hand through his hair. "I… The timer it… We can't just…"

"We've got to get her to a hospital." The second man bent down and lifted Anna into his arms.

"What about the wanker?" The third man pointed to the first one, groaning slightly on the floor.

"Let Craig have him." The second man nodded at the cameras. "He's always watching. He'll fix him."

"Right." The third man pushed to the doors of the crate and jammed his shoulder against them to open it with a grinding creak that set Anna's teeth on edge.

They hustled out into the rain, the blood washing over the second man and further soaking he and Anna . He loaded her into the rear of the SUV and climbed in after her as the third man took the wheel. Once the door shut they sped off, sending up a splash of water as they gained the traction to get away.

* * *

John jumped up as Gwen grabbed for her phone. Talbot's tablet pinged and he raced to it as Gwen answered her phone. "Anna? Anna is that you?"

With his ears attuned to the slightest noise and smallest sound, John thought he could hear a struggle. The muffled echo of sounds bouncing off metal combined until something rang in the speaker. Gwen pulled it away from her ear but still called toward the microphone.

"Anna? Anna can you hear me? Where are you? Where-" The call died and Gwen turned to Talbot. "Did you get enough to trace the signal?"

"I did." Talbot clicked a few buttons. "Your aunt was right. He's got places everywhere."

"Where was it?" John and Gwen hurried over to the tablet as Talbot unhooked it and grabbed his things.

"The docks. I'd guess a shipping container based on the placement." Talbot turned to Mary, "Until next time."

"I'll man the fort in case there's any news at this end." Mary ushered them all out the doors. "Go! Find her."

The trio hurried off, Gwen taking the driver's seat while Talbot crammed his too-tall body into the passenger seat and John squeezed himself into the back. With his shoulders hunched over and his knees to his chest, he imagined he much look a bit like Quasimodo but that was the least of his worries as Talbot began directing Gwen to the source of the signal. They careened over the roads, sliding through puddles of water large enough to be lakes as the wipers worked overtime trying to keep the windshield even visible.

But in less time than John imagined and more time than they could afford, Gwen slid the car to a stop outside a shipping container with an opened door. They all dashed from the car, leaving it running as Talbot drew a gun and Gwen readied her fists. Approaching with all caution thrown to the winds, the trio stormed inside the shipping container.

And found it empty.

Lights flickered above them, the sound of their clothes dripping over the metal floor nothing compared to the torrent beating a tattoo against the metal roof, and John knocked into a wooden crate as he tried to get deeper into the container. But he reached the back wall and only heard the hollow ring of metal when he pressed against it like there might be a hidden panel. His hands slammed against it and he pushed himself backward.

He stumbled and grabbed onto a box for support. As he did, reflecting a bit of light from the overheard array, he noticed two phones. One of them smoked slightly as he grabbed it and the other was cracked and shattered. Holding up both, Gwen took the shattered one and Talbot the other.

"This one's Anna's." Gwen slipped the busted phone into her pocket.

"And this one could belong to anyone." Talbot held it out by two fingers. "Made sure we couldn't do anything with it if we found it."

"Could you get something from it?" John moved forward but knocked his shins against another box and hissed in pain, glancing toward the floor.

"Maybe. There could be something scrubbed from the harddrive if it's not too wrecked but I think-"

"Something happened here." John kicked the box in his way to the side and pointed at the two pools of blood on the floor. "Something bad happened here and-"

"Let's not be hasty." Gwen put a hand on his arm but he threw her off. "Look, now's not the time to throw your tantrum alright. Anna's still out there and we're going to find her but we've got to keep our heads in the game."

"And be robots?"

"And not assume the worst." Talbot motioned towards the blood. "That could be anything. Gwen's right, if we let this go to our heads then we're of no good to Ms. Smith anyway. The best thing we can do is-"

Gwen's phone rang and she dug it from her pocket. A quick glance before sliding her finger to answer it had them all crowding around it as she hit the button for speaker. "What's up Mary?"

"I'm at the hospital. Anna was just brought in. She's bleeding rather badly and they rushed her to surgery." There was a hitch in her voice, "You all might want to get here now."

They were out of the container faster than Mary could finish her thought.


	12. Pain in the Membrane

Anna opened her eyes and almost screamed but Craig's large hand covered her mouth. "I'd rather you keep this little visit between you and I, Ms. Smith." She nodded and he released his hand. "I wanted to offer my sincere apologies for what happened. I promise, the man will be punished, as I promised."

"What?"

"I keep my word, Ms. Smith." He straightened and pulled at his jacket. "You kept your word and I intend to keep mine. He violated our agreement and I won't stand for anyone making a fool of me. Understand?"

"I remember." She whispered hoarsely, running a hand over her tender cheek and then her abdomen. "Where am I?"

"The hospital." Craig glanced toward the door. "I've only a moment before your friends come in but I wanted you to have my personal assurances that everything will be fine… on my end, at least."

Anna frowned and then winced as she tried to adjust on the bed. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing I want to have to tell you." Craig nodded at her, "I'll be sending you proof of me keeping my end of the deal, Ms. Smith. Make no mistake about that."

She watched him leave the room as quietly as he entered and lay back against the pillows. Pain in her abdomen shot through her when she twisted for the glass next to her bed and she hissed in pain. Pushing the blankets away from her and pulling at the smock covering her body, Anna frowned at the bruising over her stomach and hips.

"It looks worse than it is." Anna hurried to push the smock back in place as Gwen entered the room. "The doctor said it's mostly bruising."

"Mostly?" Anna rolled the word around in her mouth, "Why would you say it like that?"

"I…" Gwen sat on the edge of Anna's bed and took her hand. "I'm not sure I'm the one to tell you what that means."

"Now you're just making me nervous." Anna moved her legs and then flinched at the shock of pain between them. "Was I-"

"No, heavens no." Gwen hurried to say, "You weren't raped or anything."

"Because I remember him coming for me and then…" Anna frowned, trying to sort the events moving so quickly through her brain. "Did someone bring me here?"

"Two of three guys from the video."

"What video?"

"The one where they abducted you from the lab where you went to pick up your paternity test." Gwen shrugged, "Don't worry about that Terrance guy. He'll… He'll be worried about something quite different where he's going."

"I wasn't worried about that." Anna shifted and ran her hand over her cheek again. "I remember a lot of blood."

"From when they abducted you?"

"No, from later when…" Anna's mouth flexed. "Did something happen to me… down there?"

"I don't-"

"Don't lie to me." Anna grabbed for Gwen's hands, finally taking a good look at the bedraggled, worn, and weary face of her friend. She searched her eyes but found no comfort there. "Tell me what happened Gwen."

"Like I said." Gwen pulled her hand free. "I'm not the one to do that."

"Then who-"

"She means me." John entered the room, nodding at Gwen as she dismounted the bed. "Everyone agreed I should tell you."

"Tell me what?" Anna turned to Gwen, the rising panic in her chest not abated when Gwen pressed her lips to Anna's forehead. "What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry Anna." Gwen looked her in the eye. "So, so sorry."

"No," Anna shook her head, raising a shaking finger toward Gwen. "I won't have you use that line on me. I know this is much worse than you're saying and it's killing me that you're not going to tell me."

"Because I need to." John stepped forward, running his hands in a dry-wash over one another. "I need to tell you because-"

Anna blinked as the realization of the small clues aligned. "I lost the baby." John could only nod as Anna's trembling hand went to her mouth. "I lost our baby."

"There wasn't anything to be done." John tried to assure her, reaching for her hands but Anna pulled free from him, using her hands to press through her hair. "They said it was similar to placental abruption and the trauma combine with the assault on you forced your body to react and protect itself."

"But not my baby?" Anna put her hands on her abdomen, trying to detect signs of life there. "Is it-"

"You miscarried." John shuddered, the sob in his voice ringing loudly in Anna's ears. "The doctors helped your body finish to stop the bleeding since it ruptured your placental walls but they got you stabilized. The surgery was a miracle and they say you'll make a full recovery. It's a miracle that you're-"

"No." Anna shrank back, shaking her head so hard her jaw ached from the bruising on her cheek. "It's not a miracle."

"We all thought you were going to die, Anna."

"Our baby did die, John." She practically screamed and wished she could throw something. Wished she could find anything to break in her hands so she could put physical images to the shattering of her heart. "I lost our… I lost my…"

She could not finish her sentence and forced her eyes shut as she tossed back onto her pillows. Her hands balled into fists and she pressed them to her eyes as the tears finally came. They leaked over her and her sore body wracked with pain and sobs. But when John reached for her hand she tore it from his grasp.

"Don't touch me."

"Anna…" He stepped back as she opened her eyes, "I just… I want to be here for you. Tell me what I can do. How can I help you?"

"You can go away." Anna nodded toward the door.

"Okay. But I'll be right outside when you're-"

"No," Anna swallowed, sniffing to give a temporary respite to her tears. "I don't mean for a bit while I have a good cry. I mean go away."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I've ruined this." Anna let out a cringing laugh. "Like everything."

"I don't think that."

"You should." Anna sniffed, wiping at her eyes, "I ruin everything I touch, John, and I should've known I'd ruin this."

"It's not ruined." John reached for her again but Anna dodged him. "It's not as simple as all that."

"Just leave me alone John and please…" Anna took a deep breath, "Please don't try to visit me again. I don't want to see you and, if you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't want to see me either."

"I want to be here for you Anna."

"Then you're a bigger fool than me." Anna turned her head away from him. "Just go before I manage to wreck your life worse than I already have."

"Anna," His hand touched her shoulder but she only flinched away and refused to look at him.

A heavy heave of breath greeted her, the echo of tears in his chest that ignited the ones in her, and then silence. She waited until the door clicked closed before turning. The shadow of his silhouette passed the window and then she allowed herself to cry again.

Over the next few days, at the interminable insistence of the doctors, Anna stayed in hospital. She flipped through every magazine she had, finally convinced Gwen to let her work remotely, and even endeavored to call or text John on the phone Mary's friend Henry- or was it Gwen's friend- salvaged for her. But at the end of the day she just shut it off and thought back to the dull ache in her abdomen that reminded her of where life had been.

Life they had created together, as the paternity test Gwen dropped off without a word confirmed. Life that Alex stole from her, like he stole everything, and he did not even realize what he stole. Life that she wanted more now that she realized she could never have it again. Life she had not even had the chance to name, much more know. Life that was no longer.

Anna clicked her way through the next series of projections and typed her response to them, pushing her glasses up her nose until the screen fuzzed. As she shifted it to the table next to her, a twinge in her gut keeping her from over stretching still-healing muscles, Adjusting back onto the pillows she snorted at the sound of the door opening.

"I knew you'd get bored without me there to-" The words died in her throat and her mouth dried as Alex entered the room. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened to you." He came toward her, reaching for her hand but Anna snatched it from his grip. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I was until you showed up." Anna floundered for the call button but Alex nabbed it first. "Get out."

"I'm here to support you through this difficult time Anna." His hand stroked through her hair and she twisted from his grip. "The least you could do is thank me."

"Touch me again and I'll bite your hand off."

"You always did have a bit of a kinky side." Green winked at her, setting the call button out of reach and taking a chair. "But I don't think you realize the personal I risk I went to just to come and see you and I'm a little pissed you're so ungrateful."

"Ungrateful?"

"Yes." Green nodded, "I've got people who'd love to catch me here."

"I'd love them to catch you as well." Anna tried not to snarl at him. "you're going to come here and attempt to make me feel guilty for being 'ungrateful' when you're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place?"

"If you hadn't cheated on me then there wouldn't have been-"

"Don't you even say it." Anna held up a warning finger. "My body may be a bit weak but it's not going to stop me kicking your ass and driving your face into the floor if you say one more word in that direction."

"Fine." Green raised his hands in surrender and took the chair next to her bed. "But your infidelity has it's consequences."

"And what about your infidelity, you self-righteous prick?"

"I'm a man, Anna."

"And that makes it all okay?"

"For centuries."

Anna shook her head, "How could I've ever been stupid enough to date you much less think we had any kind of relationship?"

"I'm charming."

"You're a jackass." Anna sighed, "And you need to leave."

"Not until I get what I came for."

"What, you've got a pound of flesh you expect to get from me?" Anna scoffed, "Good luck. The only thing you'll get is a baseball bat to your balls if Gwen even smells that you were here."

"And how's the fiery bitch doing?"

"Better than you will if she catches you." Anna paused, "Or if anyone else catches you, since we both know that's who you're really afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of anyone."

"Please," Anna groaned, "You don't think I was hiding out in a shipping container for a few hours for my health, do you?"

"I couldn't say."

"I can." Anna leaned toward him, "I met Craig and, honestly, I think he likes me better than you so I'm pretty sure he'll get rid of you for me."

"You wouldn't sell me out to him."

"After what happened I'd sell your ass so fast it'd make your head spin." Anna laid back on her pillows. "What brought you skulking back here anyway?"

Green ran his tongue over his teeth behind his lips. "There was word you were pregnant with my baby."

Anna groaned, "And you believed that?"

"I believed you might want a father for the little bastard since your sex toy is away." Green shrugged, "And if it was mine then I'd be entitled to a piece of it."

"It's not a stock share, asshole."

"Maybe not but," Green rested his hands on the bars of the bed and flicked his eyebrows. "How much would it've been worth to you to never have me try and claim the brat later in life?"

"Are you seriously telling me you'd ransom parental rights for… money?"

"You've got nothing else to offer me."

"I've not got money to offer you." Anna made a face. "You're a despicable-"

"You've got that settlement from your stepfather."

Anna's blood chilled. "That's not my money."

"Yeah, yeah, it's in some trust, blah, blah, for your children or whatever, bollocks." Green's hand slapped on the handle. "That money's yours if you want to claim it."

"I don't want it." Anna hissed at him. "It's blood money and I don't want any of it. That's why it's for whatever children I have. They can use it to their advantage and I don't have to take a penny from that man."

"Then let me take the pennies from that man." Green's face closed in on hers. "It's enough to settle my debts with Craig and you never have to see me again."

"I don't have to see you now." Anna held up her phone, "I'm sure they've already got a handle on this place."

"Who?"

"The same man who sent me this." Anna flicked to a picture of a blood spattered wall and the body of the first man from the shipping container. "There was nothing else on the email that gave this to me but the phrase, 'I'm a man of my word'. So you tell me, do you think he's not watching us?"

Green blanched and backed away from the bed. "A trap?"

"Which you fell into like an idiot and I helped spring." Anna shrugged, "Not like I had a choice but I guess I'll take my own pleasure from this at least."

"Bitch." Green grabbed the chair from next to the bed and jammed it under the door handle as he flipped the lock. "You'd turn me over to him?"

"You'd sleep with three other women while we were together?" Anna flicked up her fingers, "Or be dumb enough to try and rip off a guy with a nice suit and a Russian accent?"

"You can't prove I did that."

"What do I care what I can prove? I'm not a lawyer." Anna put her head back on the pillows, "I'm just the idiot who dated you and got into this mess."

"What, regretting every minute of it?" Green sneered and checked the door to the loo in the room before going to the windows and checking over the ledge.

"Most minutes of it." Anna sighed, "And the minutes I lost to other things because of you."

"Please," Green groaned, "I was the best thing you ever had."

"With your oversized ego and your undersized penis?" Anna cracked a laugh. "Please, I could kill myself climbing to your ego to jump to your IQ level and then tumble the remaining distance to your cup size."

"Like you were better."

"I didn't cheat on you."

"Liar."

Anna huffed, "Is it really cheating if you're not really together and the first party's already cheating?"

"Depends on how you define it." Green tested the windows and cracked one open. "It'll do."

"Good luck." Anna waved at him, opening her phone but Green seized it from her hand and threw it toward a wall. "That's not easy to replace."

"Neither's my life."

"Then you should've thought about that before you decided to be the stupidest person on the face of the earth." Anna turned away from him but Green yanked her off the bed. "What the hell do you think-"

"If you're so tight with Craig then he'll have to think twice about hurting you." Green held her with one arm around her chest and used her IV pole to crack the glass and then break it. The end of the pole cleared the glass from the pane before Green tore the leads from the machines and shoved Anna toward the window. "Out."

"No way in hell." Anna tried to turn back to the bed but felt something cold at the back of her skull.

"I asked nicely once. That's all the niceness you get." Anna swallowed hard. "Now you climb out that window and come with me."

Anna managed to get out the window, barely avoiding the shards of glass strewn all over the small walkway between the two buildings. Green dropped next to her and wrapped his fingers around her arm while holding the barrel of the gun to her side. His hip bumped into hers and urged her forward.

They maneuvered between the buildings and toward the carpark. Every step had Anna wincing as her bare feet rolled over stones, loose gravel, and whatever spiky grass grew between the buildings. Green paid her no mind and only tugged harder on her arm every time she slowed. Each motion between them teased the sore muscles of her body until Anna could only grimace and hiss in pain as each step made it worse.

The exposure of the carpark, overshadowed by dark storm clouds promising more of the pouring rain, gave Green pause and he checked the route five times before finally moving out into the space. They crossed outside the zebra stripes and a car horn honked as it almost ran into them. Green waved his gun toward them and dragged Anna behind as his pace quickened in a rush toward wherever he parked.

Anna could barely keep up, her legs weak and her body already complaining. She caught a look at her feet when she stumbled and almost cried out at the sight of blood oozing from the scratches and cuts mixing with the dirt and grime of the road. The smock around her body billowed and she barely kept it wrapped around her as Green rounded another line of cars. But when she tried to pull away to adjust herself and preserve her modesty, Green stopped.

There, in his immaculate suit, stood Craig. Flanking him was a man with perfectly maintained hair and two other men. Two other men Anna recognized from the shipping container. On the end was a final man, who crossed the distance and offered a hand to Anna.

"Would you like to come with me, Ms. Smith?" He removed his jacket and wrapped it over her. "I think you've got two very worried friends inside."

"Two?"

The man paused, "I'd say three but I think he's not waiting inside for you."

"Is John-"

"He's respecting your decisions." The man put an arm around Anna's shoulders and turned to Craig. "I believe that settles our agreement."

"It does indeed Mr. Talbot." Craig nodded at him and then to Anna. "And I owe you quite the favor Ms. Smith."

"For what?"

"For this." He pointed at Green, whose hand shook on the gun. "I couldn't have gotten him without you."

"I bet you would've."

"Not quite so nicely." Craig turned to the man with perfect hair at his right. "Keep that in mind Thomas. I owe Ms. Smith here a favor."

"I'll remember it sir." Thomas nodded at Anna. "And I owe you a favor as well."

"What?"

"There's the little matter of the lab where you thought you'd retrieve your lab results." He winced, "I do apologize for the mix-up there."

"I've got your number." Anna turned to Talbot. "Could you take me back inside please."

"Of course." He bent and swept her into his arms in a smooth motion. "And just when you were about to be released."

"It's just my feet."

"I'm sure you've suffered enough other trauma as well." Talbot steered them back into the hospital and right into the worried arms of Mary and Gwen. "Like I promise, safe and sound."

"Not sure what you call sound, Henry, but this isn't it." Gwen argued, looking at Anna's feet. "They're a mess."

"But her head's not." Talbot nodded at Anna's room. "I don't suppose they'll want to give her a new room."

"Can they just patch up my feet and let me go home?" Anna rested her head against Talbot's shoulder. "I'm not ready for more of this."

"More injuries?"

"More hospital." Anna sighed, "I think I'm ready to be somewhere that might make me a little happier than here."

"Then let's get your feet looked to and get you home." Gwen turned to Mary. "Any arguments with that?"

"I was ready to get her out of here at the first suggestion that Craig cut a deal with Henry." She glared at Talbot. "Discussions we'll be having later."

"It was what we needed to get Green out of the way." Talbot shrugged Anna in his grip. "And while Ms. Smith isn't heavy she's a weight on my arms and I'd best put her down before I drop her."

"Yes." Gwen motioned for them to follow her. "This way."

They walked to a bathroom and Gwen helped Anna inside to get her onto the counter. "Feet in the sink."

Anna slid over to put her feet in the sink as Gwen turned on the water. She hissed as the water hit her as cold and then heated quickly before Gwen managed the temperature. "Could we please manage this?"

"Stop whining." Gwen took Anna's feet and scrubbed them. "I'm doing the best with what I have."

"You're right. Sorry." Anna waited a moment, teething her lip a second. "Did John know about this?"

Gwen did not look at her, "I don't know."

"Gwen," Anna waited until Gwen turned her head to meet Anna's eyes. "Is he alright?"

"I… I don't know." Gwen sighed, scrubbing a bit harder than she meant to at Anna's feet. "Sorry."

"Has he…" Anna sighed, "Has he asked about me?"

"I haven't talked to John and he's not talked to me." Gwen finished, shutting the water off and helping Anna towel them dry. "I don't know where he is or what he's up to."

"Did he go back to Ireland?"

"Maybe," Gwen took a deep breath, holding Anna's shoulders with her hands. "You should call him yourself."

"I said some things to him that…" Anna shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important."

"Maybe it is and you should do something about it." Gwen offered her a hand to help her off the counter. "But, for now, let's just get your home."

"Yeah." Anna nodded, "Let's do that first."

"Perfect." Gwen put her hands on her hips. "We need to get you some shoes now because I'm not carrying you to the car."


	13. Alone with Our Thoughts

John packed the case and motioned toward the lorry. "That's the last one."

"Are you sure?" John pivoted to see Robert coming toward him, holding an umbrella as the steady stream of rain from the last week continued. "I'm sure there's still a sink in the kitchen."

"Funny." John strained a smile that Robert only returned with a labored sigh. "I don't think you can say anything you haven't already exhausted."

"Nothing?" Robert scratched his opposite cheek. "I guess that doesn't say much for my ingenuity."

"Or your originality." John held up his hands, "I've made up my mind and I'd rather you didn't waste any more time batting this back and forth. It's settled and that's the end of it."

"Then I won't bother you with all that." Robert pointed at the lorry and then the road. "I'll just warn you again that the destination cabins is a little far away from the hotel and, given the weather, it's not exactly the safest place."

"But it's away from here." John motioned to the hotel and pushed back his wet hair. "And given that Anna's out of hospital now I don't…"

He swallowed, "I don't want to run into her and make it awkward for her."

"What about for you?" Robert shrugged and offered the umbrella but John shook his head. "Potential awkwardness aside, don't your feelings in this whole thing matter too?"

"I think we've all decided that it's got nothing to do with me."

"We?" Robert scoffed, "I don't remember her consulting you when she unilaterally decided that she-"

"No," John held up a hand. "I'll not hear a word against her."

"John, that's not fair." Robert flailed one of his hands. "It's not as if you're the only one at fault here."

"It's not about fault." John let out a breath, "She's without flaw and so this is all on me. She didn't want me there and I'm respecting her wishes."

"She was in pain John. She didn't mean it."

"You didn't see her eyes, Robert." John turned as a man waved from the driver's side of the lorry. "He's ready to go and if it's as distant as you say then we'd better get on the road."

"He's paid by the hour." Robert gruffed and then extended a hand. "But, if you're determined then I'll just say that there's enough there for a week. You'll have water, electric, and hopefully a connection to town if the road doesn't flood."

"If it does just send the supplies for next week by canoe."

"Ha, ha." Robert's mouth dipped to frown. "We'll have someone go by on delivery in a week."

"Who?"

Robert shrugged, "Whoever's free and wants to make the trip. They'll knock, to give you warning if you paint in the nude or something."

"I'm not that kind of artist." John rolled his eyes, "I'll give you a call if I need anything out there."

"I hope you will." Robert's face contorted a bit and John groaned.

"What?"

"It's just…" Robert rubbed his free hand over the back of his neck. "Are you sure going into the jungle's the best option? Distance aside there are snakes, bugs, and other undesirable things out there to cause you a lot of hardship if you're not careful."

"In Australia there's a tradition of walkabout, when you need to find yourself." John shrugged, "This is me finding myself."

"I thought you did that when you chucked it all in to paint for a living?"

"I'll talk to you in a few days Robert." John clapped his shoulder. "And I'll be fine. I was in the army with you remember. We slummed it more than a few times and survived."

"That was twenty years and twice as many pounds ago."

"But at least we've both got the same hair."

Robert scoffed, "Mine's all gray. One of us cheated in that department."

"One of us was married with three daughters." John walked to the passenger door of the lorry. "Give Cora and Mary my best."

He slammed the door and pushed his sopping hair from his eyes to address the driver. "Let's go."

They trundled through town and turned off the main road quickly to roll and twist through the neighborhoods and houses of the locals. John pulled out his camera and interspersed filming with snapped pictures of the children playing in the puddles creating lakes in the roads or surfing on metal debris in the gutters as the runoff created rapids. The driver managed the rain, the roads, and anyone darting in front of them with skill and familiarity so they soon broke into the jungle.

The roads pitted and dipped more here, aged and weathered by rain more than traffic. Splashes of water flew up at almost every bump and slapped the canvas sides of the truck to give an unsteady rhythm to their travel. John continued with his camera to try and capture as much of the journey as he could. Part of him hoped it might spark a desire to use the paints locked in waterproof cases in the back of the jerking lorry.

Part of him wondered if he would ever want to pain again.

When the road dipped dramatically, John's breath caught in his throat. It stayed there with the solid torrent of water that smacked the windshield but the lorry pulled from the nature-made ditch and rumbled up the other side of the hill. Craning back, John watched the water level settled a bit but imagined he could see it grow as the rainstorm around them continued unabated.

"Will you be able to get back through that?" He pointed behind them but the driver only shrugged and kept his focus forward.

In total the whole drive was perhaps an hour, maybe less, but the oppressive heat of the jungle, the rain soaking through the foliage, and the silence of the lorry forced John to consult his watch more than once in the vain assumption that they had somehow circumvented time. All those thoughts, however, vanished when they rounded a bend in the road and there stood the cabin. Or what Robert Crawley had the audacity to call a cabin.

John's jaw almost hit the dashboard of the lorry as he leaned forward to gape at the lodge. A few smaller buildings edged the distance the size of a football pitch and a few people milled around outside. The lorry driver steered them under an overhang and parked before exiting the cab without another word.

The snap of the canvas covers pulling back and the driver unloading his things brought John from his reverie. Enough to get him from his seat and out of the lorry but not out of his undignified stupor. He circled the lorry, ignoring the piles the individuals from the building immediately took in loads inside, and risked the easing rain to admire the lodge.

It towered in the clearing. Set on the natural hill that started the foothills to the mountains that formed the spine of the island, the lodge took up a corner of the property that then spread out with carefully cultivated grass. The plateau tapered into the jungle on the edges of the trees and John squinted through the rain to spy a waterfall in the distance. And other than the buildings that bordered the side opposite the road entrance, the entire location was almost a secret resort in the middle of the jungle.

Someone tapped his shoulder and John jumped, squishing in the grass. A darkly skinned man stood there with an umbrella protecting his pristine uniform. A uniform that ended in a pair of functional sandals but still put the man a head taller than John. "Sir? Would you like to come inside?"

"This isn't at all what I expected." John flailed a hand at it. "When Robert said he had a little place in the jungle…"

"You expected a leaky shack with a camping lantern, a torch with semi-functional batteries, and an outhouse?" The man smiled, teeth flashing a brilliant white in the gray-blue of the rain. "Mr. Crawley's very particular about this place."

"Why? It's gorgeous."

"He's particular about it because he wants it to stay gorgeous." The man stepped to the side, "Shall we go in?"

"Yes, sorry." John hurried to follow the man, "I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't provide it, or an introduction." He extended a hand to John once they dipped under the overhang and he swept the umbrella to the side to dry. "Jack Ross, manager and caretaker of this little gem."

"And who, Mr. Ross, stays here if not Mr. Crawley's main guests?"

"This is the place he uses for those people hoping to get a little farther away from it all." Ross looked John up and down, "I assume you wouldn't be here if you didn't fit that bill."

"You'd be right." John frowned at the exterior. "It's a lot of glass for a lodge built where hurricanes shove straws through tree trunks."

"It's actually a transparent aluminum." Ross knocked his knuckles against the window. "Durable, strong, and has a flexibility that keeps shear forces from being an issue."

"Robert paid for this?"

"Technically he retrofitted the existing structure." Ross motioned around him. "This whole place used to be a scientific laboratory for researchers but whatever agency or university was paying for this place lost the funding. Mr. Crawley scooped it up and now rents it out to school groups as well."

"Keeps them away from his high paying guests?"

"And gets him some lovely tax write offs." Ross opened the door. "After you."

John entered the lodge and immediately gawked at the wide open atrium with the crackling fireplace, the neutral and green toned sofas, the bar in the corner, and the dining room with green glass-topped tables and chairs. A sweeping staircase went up to the higher floors and John craned his head back to see the strips of lighting that ran between the supports for the slanted windows allowing the beat of the rain to echo around the whole room. As he looked back at Ross, the other man only shrugged.

"Mr. Crawley's best kept secret I think."

"I couldn't agree more."

"We've put you on the second floor." Ross pointed up the stairs and they ascended together. "We've given you a room with a covered balcony and a smaller sunroom. I hope you don't mind if I already instructed the staff to put your painting supplies in that room."

"Not at all."

"Mr. Crawley advised us to give you the room with the best natural light and, when the sun's actually out, it is but right now…" Ross pointed up at the windows above them.

"The point is moot."

"Very." Ross took a key from his pocket and handed it over. "The key to your room. It has a chip in the top to open the main doors, the exercise facility, the pool, the kitchen, and the rec room."

"You've all thought of everything haven't you?" John took the key, worrying it with his fingers as Ross opened the doors.

"We're here to serve." Ross allowed John to enter the room first. "The bed's a queen, so hopefully that's large enough for you, and the tub has jacuzzi settings but they're being finnicky lately so I'd advise against betting on them."

"I'm not sure I can complain." John walked the space, noting his things just around a corner in the sunroom. "Tell me, am I the only guest right now?"

"Yes." Ross flexed his jaw, "Most of us are actually starting our holiday tomorrow so the only person around for the next few days'll be the gardener and maybe the maintenance crews doing checks before the new batch of students comes through in the fall for semester abroad."

"So it's just me?"

Ross nodded, "There's a phone next to the bed and one clearly available throughout the rest of the lodge. If you need anything the line'll take you straight to the main hotel or, in an emergency, an out station about twenty minutes from here."

"About?"

"Depends on the weather." Ross clapped his hands together. "Ready for the rest of the tour?"

By the end of the hour John had seen every inch of his new abode. Each nook and cranny and carefully maintained crevice of the place was his for as long as he liked. And as Ross and the rest of the crew loaded into the lorry that brought John, he realized exactly how alone he would be in such a large space.

And how wonderful that feeling was.

He bid them all goodbye, shutting and locking all the doors in the lodge, and wandered the space. Even knowing where everything was, John took the quiet to explore the palatial location Robert had called 'a cabin in the woods'. When he finally finished his self-guided tour, his prosthetic leg complaining due to the strain and the damp, John wandered to the bookcase.

It was just like the ones he always saw in rental cabins out on the edges of hiking trails or time-share homes. The mixed collection of books left, forgotten, abandoned, and donated to the place fascinated him. Each one told the story of someone's interests, passions, or forced reading. A few of the collegiate textbooks gave him a chuckle until his eyes caught the blue-edged binding of one shorter book.

He stopped, carefully reading the spine, and then eased it out of its resting place between an environmental science textbook and an ecological study guide. When he re-read the cover, John laughed out loud. There, amongst all the books forgotten by years of students and scientists, was an art biography of James Gillespie.

The picture was of the _Tropical Storm Guardian_ painting hanging in the Scottish National Gallery.

* * *

Anna rubbed her eyes and sighed as the officer went over his notes again. "I don't think you've missed anything in the five times you've had me tell you what happened."

"We would've questioned you about all this sooner, Ms. Smith, but we were a bit tied up with… events." The young officer shuffled in his seat. "And you maintain that you'd never met Mr. Craig before?"

"I would've remembered if someone who put me in a shipping container was a dear friend."

"It could've been that he was-"

"That was a joke," Anna bit back a groan at the officer's confusion. "We'd never met before. Next question."

"And you've not seen Mr. Craig or Mr. Green since that day?"

"Thank goodness." The officer waited and Anna rolled her eyes. "No, I've not seen either one of them since then."

"And you-"

"Know what," Anna grabbed her things and stood up, "I'm done here. If you have any real questions, that I've not already given twenty synonyms for, just call me. I'm sure you've got my number. And if you need help dialing the phone, ask one of your superiors."

She turned on her heel and left the station, the young officer only blinking after her. Outside, glaring up at the weak excuse for sun, was Gwen. At the closing of the door she turned to Anna and smiled. "They finally let you go?"

"I just walked out." Anna slouched toward the car. "It was the same thing, over and over and over and over again. How many times do I need to rehash the same story? None of the facts have changed."

"Part of it is to test if you've memorized it." Gwen climbed into the driver's seat and turned the engine. "The other part is because they're not exactly the brightest bulbs in the box here."

"The worst they deal with are stolen tourist bags." Anna put her elbow on the window and leaned her hand on her palm. "The idea of a drug kingpin making his rounds to the island to try and collect money from the sleezy banker that made the mistake of robbing him does feel a bit outside their purview."

"It's a bit outside my purview." Gwen shuddered, "Promise me you'll never date a scumbag like Green again. I don't think I could pull this whole mess of twice."

"Promise." Anna ran her nail along her teeth a moment. "Although we're ignoring the elephant in the room with that."

"There's no elephant in the room."

"Since when do you work for the DEA?" Anna faced Gwen, who kept her gaze determinedly forward. "Because you've been storm watching with me ever since we moved to this island."

"We live in a dangerous economy." Gwen shrugged, "A girl's gotta have a side hustle."

"Most people just sell printed shirts on Etsy. They don't work part-time for the DEA." Anna sighed, "Is that how you know Henry?"

"Henry and I met in the Royal Marines. He stayed in after I got out and, apparently, joined private security when he decided he'd had enough of the flag waving on his shoulder."

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

Gwen winced, "It's more that you get to a point where you realize that there's really nothing left for you when people are shooting at you for the pay you get. Then you think, 'hey, I could get shot at for ten times what I make now' and those people become Henry."

"Or _are_ Henry." Anna ran a hand through her hair. "But you wanted to chase weather patterns in a little bunker on an island?"

"It's an island in the Caribbean, which I believe is a crucial point in the skepticism I'm hearing in your voice." Gwen raised a warning finger as she turned the car around a bend. "And there's a difference between doing something because you love it and doing something because it's a job."

"So…?"

"What I do now is that former and my work with the DEA is the latter." Gwen parked the car and Anna blinked. "We're here."

"No," She shook her head. "I don't want to be here."

"Then it's a shame you left your bike at our place." Gwen opened her door and leaned back in to look at Anna. "Your friends all want to celebrate you being alive."

"I can't be here." Anna crossed her arms low over her stomach. "I can't-"

"Can't what?" Gwen waited but Anna did not meet her gaze. "Can't face him if he's here?"

"That's exactly it." Anna sighed, "I don't… I don't want to see him."

"If you do then you just tell him whatever sent him away from you at the hospital."

"He'll know it's a lie." Anna sighed, "That man reads me like a book and he'll see right through whatever I say."

"Oh boy." Gwen rested her arms on the roof of the car and hung her head between them. "You are so dramatic."

"It's true." Anna insisted and went to argue but Gwen held up a hand.

"John's not even here."

"What?" Anna blinked, "Where'd he-"

"No idea." Gwen tapped her fingers against the roof of the car, "One way to find out."

Anna pushed out of the car and followed Gwen into the hotel. They stepped out of the way of a group of chattering old ladies in their swimming suits taking advantage of the hint of sun to head for the beach and circumvented the lobby for one of the private conference rooms. There, bearing it with a grimace, Anna endured the cheers and greetings from all those worried she might have died in the previous two weeks.

She circled the room, picking at the food on the buffet, and eventually wove herself over to Mary. Mary who, with only the rise and fall of her perfectly maintained eyebrows, argued with Talbot. She did not raise her voice but the slightly droop to Talbot's shoulders told Anna everything she needed to know about he situation.

Talbot went to say something else but noticed Anna and snapped his mouth shut to swallow and work into a smile. "And here's the woman of the hour."

"I'm pretty sure that you should've gotten a party to thank you for what you did for me." Anna held up her fingers. "Twice."

"Please, I got more than enough compensation from Mary here and from the local constabulary." The slight blush on Mary's cheeks almost sent a similar blush over Anna's cheeks before Talbot continued. "I don't think I've ever had a check with an equivalent number of zeroes that actually made me feel proud of myself."

"Well I'm grateful, twice over."

"And I hope never to have to do it again." Talbot shrugged, "In my line of work you rarely want to meet people in similar circumstances twice."

"Then I hope we only ever meet socially from now on." Anna put a hand on Mary's arm. "Do you mind if I steal her away?"

Talbot looked Mary up and down and then nodded, "It's probably for the best. My glass if empty and I've an early start tomorrow."

"Thank you for coming." Mary managed stiffly and Talbot strained a partial smile in her direction.

"My pleasure."

As he eased back between the people Anna opened her mouth but Mary put up a hand. "If you're about to say anything about him I'd encourage you not to."

"Fine." She managed a breath, "I'm actually wondering about something Gwen told me."

"If it has anything to do with you almost not wanting to come, like she predicted you might not, since there could be a certain man here then she's right, he's not here."

"Did he go back to Ireland or-"

"I said 'not here'," Mary faced Anna, "Not that he's not still on the island."

"Well that's vague and unhelpful."

"You're the one who didn't want him around."

Anna flinched, "Thanks for throwing that back in my face."

"You didn't ask me to be nice and I never promised I was."

"True." Anna led Mary to a more secluded corner and pulled her arms up to fold them over her torso. "Where is he?"

"Because you want to see him or because you want to stay far away from him?" Mary raised an eyebrow, "Because if you just wanted to talk to him, phones work in both directions."

"Did Henry say something to you because you're unusually snitty right now?"

Mary sighed, "Henry and I have our own problems, which I'd like to keep private, and we're not talking about my relationships right now are we?"

"We could be."

"But you're here to ask about where John went since he's not in his room here at the hotel." Mary drained the rest of her glass. "He's at the lodge."

"That's out in the bush."

"Technically it's a few hours short of the bush since you can't really hike to the spine from there but sure, I get why you'd think that." Mary frowned at the buffet table and the offered drinks before turning back to Anna. "It does call into question which one of you is more ridiculous I think."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because you avoided him by switching delivery routes with that new boy and he avoided you by driving an hour into the jungle." Mary shrugged, "It's just interesting how the two of you, in your need to protect yourselves while caring for the other person, tried to not see one another."

"I do hope you're winding around to the part of this lecture where you tell me how I get there."

Mary frowned, "You've been there before."

"It's been years, Mary, and we were all hung over when we drove out of there and it was dark driving in. Plus, I didn't even drive. I was in the back seat squashed between those two rugby players from Auckland. I couldn't see a thing."

"That was a riot of a weekend." Mary grinned and then straightened her face. "But you're right."

Anna waited but Mary did not continue, "Are you going to give me directions?"

"I was actually going to do you one better," Mary flexed her jaw, "There's a delivery scheduled out there tomorrow. There's some routine maintenance we've got to get done on the property. If you'd want to hitch a ride…"

"How long's the maintenance?"

"About two hours, maybe three." Mary pointed to her glass and then the buffet table. "I'm going to refill this. By the time I get back I hope you've got a decision for me."

"I'll…" Mary walked away before Anna could finish her thought but Gwen's hand on her shoulder brought her out of whatever thought she had with a jump. "Judas Priest don't do that."

"Sorry." Gwen held up her hands, "Mary tell you where your lover is?"

"Please, never use that word again." Anna shuddered, "I hate that term."

"Why?"

"Because it sounds so lurid. Like someone trying to be all suave and sexy but really looking like someone who role plays wearing professional suits and having someone refer to them as 'Mr. Prime Minister'."

"That was incredibly vivid and more than a little disturbing." Gwen grimaced, "How long've you been thinking up that analogy."

"That's beside the point," Anna waved her down. "And yes, Mary told me where he's hiding out."

"Hiding out? What is he now, a bandit in the jungle?"

"He's at that lodge Mary's parents rent out to students and scientists."

"I remember that place." Gwen's eyes got big and she whistled, "That was a wild weekend. I think I got with five guys at once."

"You mean you got drunk with five guys at once and then all passed out on the same circle of sofas." Anna rolled her shoulders, "Mary says there's a delivery lorry going out there tomorrow."

"So?"

"She offered to let me hitch a ride."

Gwen pursed her lips and waited but Anna did not continue. "And that's it?"

"I don't know." Anna shrugged, "I guess I haven't decided what I want or if I want it and now that the decision's here I realize I don't know and-"

"Of my goodness." Gwen put her hands over her face and dragged them dramatically to her chin. "You're possibly one of the dumbest smart people I've ever met, worked with, or considered a friend."

"Excuse me?"

"Anna," Gwen put her hands together, resting her chin on them. "He's the best thing that ever happened to you. Bar none. And here you are, _debating_ whether or not going to him is a good idea."

"We're still practically strangers and after what happened-"

"You're so screwed up." Gwen put a hand to her hair, tangling her fingers enough to grab at her scalp and look at Anna. "Probably one of the most screwed up people I've ever met."

"You're as bad as Mary today."

"And you're about to throw away your best chance to have something real with a good man for what? The memory of your prick of an ex-boyfriend?"

"Alex has nothing to do with this."

"He's got everything to do with it Anna." Gwen opened her hands, "He was the whole reason you thought John was great in the first place. Because he wasn't a wanker, and now he's the reason you doubt John's sincerity. He's the reason you're questioning everything about yourself and this."

"I did lose our baby."

"And that's not your fault." Anna went to speak but Gwen took her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "It's not your fault."

"It feels like it is."

Gwen straightened, "Then that's something you'll have to work out with him, isn't it?"

"It's been a month Gwen." Anna shook her head, "I chased him away and-"

"And now's your time to recover completely instead of just with your body." Gwen pointed at her, "You know, you're a very smart girl Anna."

"What's that got to-"

"And there are times I stand in awe of your brilliance."

Anna narrowed her eyes, "I'm feeling a very strong 'but' coming."

" _But_ ," Gwen dragged out, "There are other times when I'm in utter bafflement as to the depths of your stupidity. Dating Green was one of those moments. Staying with Green dropped you to what I'd consider your ultimate low."

"And this?"

"This?" Gwen opened her arms to Anna, "This is a chance to rise from the Marianas Trench of your life."

"How very dramatic."

"I'm being serious Anna." Gwen pointed at Mary, weaving her way back to them. "If you don't take her offer, if you let him go, I'll never stop wondering if you're not the dumbest person I've ever met."

Anna chewed the inside of her cheek as Mary joined them. She frowned at Gwen and then turned to Anna, sipping from her drink. "So? What's it going to be?"

Anna took a deep breath, "I'll be riding shotgun on that lorry tomorrow."

* * *

John frowned at the canvas and put down his brush and palette. The roll of tires drew him from the sunroom and he walked to the top of the balcony that wrapped half of the open sitting room. He could see the back of the lorry and hurried down the stairs to open the door to the lodge.

As he did, his jaw dropped. Anna stood there, one hand rubbing her other arm, and she tried to smile at him. "Hello John."


	14. We All Need Time to Recover

He could not stop staring at her. Everything in their previous encounter argued with her position in front of him. And everything in him screamed to move or at least breathe.

It finally took her throat clearing to get him to react. Coughing to clear his throat, John spoke. "Hello Anna."

"Sorry to surprise you like this." She shuffled in place. "I know it's awkward and a bit like an ambush but Mary told me where you were and I thought-"

"That a phone wouldn't do?"

Anna's shoulders slumped a bit and she nodded before motioning toward the sitting room. "Mind if I come in? It's not exactly a conversation comfortably had on a doorstep and this one's not even mine."

"Sure." John stepped back, in a daze, and Anna slipped through the small opening to let him shut the door. "What did Mary tell you? And how did you even get up here?"

"I got a ride with the maintenance men since it seemed a better option than getting a motorcycle or trying to bring my bike here."

"The maintenance men brought you along willingly?"

"Mary didn't give them a choice." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "They're be here for about two hours or so."

"And you came the equal amount of time to what… talk?"

"I was hoping so."

"Okay." John pointed toward the fireplace. "Might as well be comfortable."

They edged toward the sofas, taking two that faced one another but left a respectable distance between them. A distance they quickly filled with silence. John's fingers drummed a beat against his knee as he waited for Anna to begin. And given the constant dry washing of her hands between the insistent tugging on her fingers, whatever speech she prepared now seemed insignificant… or had fled her mind entirely.

He sympathized with that. The moment she appeared on his doorstep he lost all thought. There was nothing in that moment but the impossibility of the universe bending over backward to put her there and the potential she was a cruel joke of his subconscious mind to tell him that he was alone too long. Whether he truly was going mad was yet to be seen.

Anna exhaled in a rush and then giggled, running her palms determinedly along the material of her knee-length trousers. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to be this nervous and I thought I could say what I wanted to but it's all…"

"Left in a rush?"

She nodded, "I think the first thing, even though it's hardly adequate and more than a little trite, is that I'm sorry."

John's eyebrows practically brushed his hairline. "I… What?"

"I'm sorry." Anna clasped her hands together so her fingers tugged tightly enough to whiten her knuckles. "I was unfair to you and I hurt you."

"You were hurting and scared and-"

"That's no excuse."

John opened his mouth to speak but then shut it at the look on Anna's face. She dropped her gaze to her trembling hands and rotated them a moment before swallowing loud enough that John heard it. He also noted the sob in her voice when she did speak.

"I… I was hurting. I was scared and… No, I was terrified." Her hand wiped at her eyes, fingers quivering as the tremor vibrated up her whole body. "I didn't know what to do and I realized then all the things I didn't know."

"I don't think I understand."

"I didn't just lose my baby, I lost yours." Anna finally lifted her face to look at him. "I lost everything we had and I realized that it wasn't much at all."

"I don't know if three months of-"

"Of skype chats and phone calls, not of dinners or cuddling or hiking or whatever else it is that couples or dating people do." She paused, taking a breath to ease the run of frustration in her voice. "I'm not explaining this very well."

"Just…" John put his hand out but retracted his fingers when she flicked her eyes toward it. He withdrew his hand to his knee but shifted to the edge of the sofa. "Just tell me what you figure out as you figure it out. I can piece it all together."

She nodded and then continued. "I lost the relationship we could've had."

"When the baby-"

"When I found out I was even pregnant." Anna hauled in a breath. "It was the greatest moment of my life, when I found out, but a part of me died. Died because I realized that we'd never have that courtship. We'd never spend a year trading nights and the other person's place, giving closet space and drawers until we finally realized we should find a place together. We'd never spend another six months or so paying bills together, learning how to domesticate one another, and then realizing that we'd want it to work out. Then we'd plan a wedding or rush one because then we'd be pregnant. And we…"

"We lost all of that." John finished for her, his chin bobbing slightly as the realization dawned on him. "We were about to become parents and we still didn't know which side of the bed we'd claim as ours or how to organize our toiletries in the bathroom."

"Yes." Anna jammed her fingers together as if she could press the skin connecting them farther into her hand. "And when I lost the baby…"

"You thought you'd lost it all over again?"

"I lost myself." Anna sniffed, a few tears rolling down her cheek. "I lost the future I planned for a child I'd not even really met yet. I lost the chance to pick out school socks and shoes to match uniforms or even knowing which school to choose for him… or her. I lost the chance to build a nursery and fill it with stuffed animals and all the children's books I read as a girl."

The glisten in her eyes now matched the growing wet stains on her cheeks. "And then I realized you lost it too but I didn't even know what books you would've put in that nursery." Her face went into her hands, supported on her shaking knees. "I don't even know how to grieve all the things I didn't even realize I'd lost until they were stolen from me."

"Anna," John slipped to his knees on the floor and laid a hand gently on her knee. "It's alright to not know what to do. I don't."

She sniffed, wiping away tears to meet his eyes for a second. "But that's not all of it."

"Then what is?" He risked taking her hand and she did nothing to draw away or take it back so John held it gently in his grasp. "What else has you all in pieces?"

"Because of the nature of the miscarriage, and everything else that happened, the doctors…" The little hiccup that accompanied her gasp for breath did nothing to lighten the somber mood. "The doctors told me it's highly unlikely I'll be able to carry to term."

"They're sure about that?"

Anna nodded, "About ninety percent sure. There's a margin for error but it's so slight that it's negligible and hardly worth mentioning."

"Oh Anna." John took her other hand, swamping them both in his massive grip and kissing over whatever parts of them were exposed. "I'm so sorry."

"I didn't…" She sniffed and tried to ease her breathing between the tears. "I didn't come here so you'd pity me and forget how I wronged you. I promise."

"I don't think you wronged me." John put a hand to her cheek, his thumb wiping through her tear tracks and gathering the new tears to dribble down to his wrist. "I thought you'd been through a traumatic incident and you just needed time."

"But I didn't realize you'd endured a traumatic incident too." Anna leaned into his hand, her hands wrapping around his still in her grip. "It wasn't just about what I lost."

"Like you said," John coughed, trying to maintain his composure. "We barely know one another and it wasn't fair of me to-"

"You just wanted to help me through it and I pushed you away." Anna tugged on his hands to get him on the sofa with her. "I pushed you away when what you needed was someone to give you their shoulder to cry on."

"I didn't need-"

"But you do, John. You needed one then and I was too selfish, wrapped up in my own pain, to see that." Anna took a shuddering breath. "And I'm so sorry."

John tried to nod but his head would not move. A clinching pain in his chest loosened a bit and he blinked rapidly to clear the tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. "I… I think…" He coughed, trying to clear his throat but it only tightened, "I didn't know what to say, to anyone else, when the doctors told Gwen."

"Why'd they tell Gwen?"

"She was listed as your emergency contact and your only family on your medical forms." John shrugged, his hand falling from Anna's face to the cushion between them so his fingers could stroke the ridges of the material. He focused on those as if they could help him overcome the block forming in his throat and the weight settling on his heart. "I saw her face, through the door, and when her hand went to her mouth she almost fell back into the wall."

He shook his head, "I feared the worst but I didn't know to fear that."

"Then what?"

"Then she came out to the waiting room." John shivered, "Mary jumped up first and Gwen told her you were fine, that you'd made it through the surgery, but the way she looked at me…"

"How she looked at you?"

John raised and lowered their joined hands, turning his gaze on Anna. "It was the visual equivalent of someone walking over my grave. I knew, by that look in her eyes, that there was something so horribly wrong nothing I could think to do would make that right."

"You wanted to make it right?" Anna frowned and shook her head, "Why would you want to make it right? You'd done nothing wrong. None of what happened was even your fault. Not by any stretch of the imagination."

"Show me a single man in the world who can look at a problem, no matter how small, and not want to fix it." John waited but Anna deflated. "I don't even think I breathed when Gwen walked up to me and said she needed to speak with me privately."

"And you did?"

"It's funny," John managed a laugh with no humor in it. "My hands were shaking so badly I wondered how I even walked in a straight line since I was sure the whole of me just rocked with tremors. And I'm not even well balanced on this thing when I'm a hundred percent stable."

His knuckles rapped against his prosthetic. "But I managed it and there we were, with the quiet monotony of hospital halls when she told me what happened."

"How I lost-"

"How we lost the baby." John slipped his other hand to join hers so they formed a flesh-colored ball of digits. "She told me how, because of what happened, we lost the baby."

"Is that when you both decided you should be the one to tell me?"

"Gwen thought it best, since she assumed it had to be mine, and I wanted to be there for you when you heard."

"I cocked that right up for you." Anna ran her thumb over his knuckles, their tearing eyes meeting again. "There you were, trying to be valiant and noble and I spat in your face."

"You're not the only one to make a mistake when things like this are on the line." John managed a tiny smile. "When I found out Vera had the abortion I was livid. I practically tore our house apart before she came home and then I just screamed at her. I didn't give her a chance to say a word before I took the bag I packed in a hurry and left."

He let out the remaining air in his lungs. "I didn't even see her again until the divorce proceedings started."

"John," Anna's small voice broke through his moment of memory as the image of Vera staring, hollow eyed, at him across the table in the lawyers office took over his thoughts. "I forgot you lost a child before this one."

"It wasn't yours to remember. I only just told you that when I got back." He whistled, "We told each other a lot of things when I first got back didn't we?"

"I think we rather made a mess of when and how you're supposed to reveal information to your prospective partners." Anna ran her fingers along his. "I think we've made rather a mess of this whole thing."

"Botched it right up." John agreed, his fingers running slowly over hers and then to her wrists. "Just a red, buzzing alarm blaring warnings from the get go."

"Biggest shitstorm ever." Anna scooted closer to him, eyes on his.

"Worst decisions I ever could have made compounded over and over again." John tilted his head to put their lips in alignment. "And I think I'm about to make it even worse."

"Me too." Anna's lips touched his and John's heart broke through the weight trying to press it to his stomach.

A clatter in the distance broke their kiss. John turned his head and noted the maintenance men working their way around the property, two of them arguing about something. He sighed and rested his forehead on Anna's as their knees bumped on the sofa.

"You've got to get back."

"No." She shook her head and John noted her eyes stayed closed. "There's nothing there for me."

"You've got a job and a roommate who'll be-" A bright light seared through the room and a crack of thunder split the sky before rumbling the entire house. John stood up, helping Anna to her feet, and noted the maintenance men running for the truck. "What's going on?"

"It could be that Hurricane Julian already made landfall." Anna pulled out her phone and tapped something hurriedly before heaving a large sigh. "It's already hit. We didn't predict it until tomorrow at the latest."

"Then you should-" John and Anna both turned to the door at the sound of an engine. Before they could even make the door the large windows showed the taillights of the lorry as it sped down the road away from the lodge in the start of a fiercely lashing rain. "I guess that answers that question."

John turned in a circle, "Aren't there ATVs or something or-"

"Even if there were, in about twenty minutes, which is how long it'll take the lorry to get there, the already swollen runoff'll be too high." Anna folded her arms over her chest, "The lorry'll be pushing it just to make it through now when they fretted about flooding the engine on the way in here."

"Makes you wonder why Robert's not put in the time and money for a bridge over that little culvert."

"He has, twice." Anna held up the requisite number of fingers. "Problem is it keeps getting washed out. He needs some skilled engineers or a different road and he's only run into bureaucratic walls the whole way."

"So he takes his chances as is?"

Anna nodded, "At least they dropped off the supplies they brought with them for you so you won't starve."

"Will you starve?" John held a hand out to her. "I don't want to have you avoiding food because-"

"Hunger strikes aren't my thing." Anna snorted, "Going without eating really isn't either but I'm a forager more than anything so it's all picking and choosing."

"But still-" John waved a hand toward the rain, now beating a fierce tattoo against the windows. "Are we even safe here?"

"Safer than we'd be out in the jungle." Anna paused, "Although there is a radio unit in one of the outbuildings. It works off external power and we could make sure it's sending a broadcast signal."

"And say what?"

Anna shrugged, "Probably tell Gwen where I am and warn Mary not to fire the poor maintenance men who drove off without another thought."

"It was rude."

"They have families to get back to."

"So do you." John put a hand on her shoulder. "If there was a way to get you-"

"John," She took his hand from her shoulder and held it between her own. "I do hope you remember what I asked you in Miami."

John nodded, "You wanted me to stay."

"My mind hasn't changed."

He swallowed, diving for what could be considered an abysmally low blow. "It did, for a bit there. You told me you never wanted to see me again and that I should leave before you ruined my life."

Anna's head dropped a moment and she nodded. "I did say that."

"Did you mean those words or the words you told me in Miami?"

Instead of answering him, she took his hand and pulled him out of the lodge and from under the protection of the overhang. Wind buffeted them from every side and the rain soaked their clothes in seconds. But there, squinting through the rain, John saw Anna's eyes did not break from his.

"I want you to stay." Her voice rose so he could hear it over the rain. "I want you to stay so we can start over."

John gestured toward the rain, "And this?"

"There are so many legends about what water does, John." Anna tilted her head back, catching the rain on her face as if it could wash away the traces of all her earlier tears. Her hand pushed her hair back and she laughed into the storm before facing John. "It heals, it purifies, and it removes deceptions… depending on the legend you believe. I want you to believe me and this is how."

"Because you're mad enough to risk getting us killed in a cyclone?"

"No, because it's a hurricane." Anna took his hand again. "Come on, we've got to tell them we're safe before they start to worry."

They dashed across the lawn, shoes squishing and sinking in the already deluged grass, to reach one of the outbuildings. Anna peered in through the window and shook her head before heading to the next one. Weaving between them, each time Anna used the windows to check the interior, they finally stopped at the right one.

The lock on the door clattered when John went to open it. Wrapping his fingers around it, John tugged but all it did was groan against the corrugated metal. He frowned and fruitlessly wiped water from his face as he stared at the lock. Anna put her hands on his.

"Let's go back. We'll try to find the keys inside and-"

John held up a hand before bending over to roll up his trouser leg. With three deft clicks he removed his prosthetic. One of his hands held the leg by the kneecap and his other went to support himself against the wall of the outbuilding. But Anna slipped under his arm instead and notched herself under his shoulder to hold him upright as he aimed the prosthetic

In two hits the lock broke and Anna pushed the door open to get them both inside. They shuffled, Anna going first, and managed to escape the storm in the darkness of the little hut. John's hip knocked into a hard surface and he hissed in pain as Anna dug for her phone. The little flashlight lit the whole room and John laid his prosthetic on the table now growing a bruise on his hip.

"Thank you." He nodded at her, holding the table with both arms as Anna extracted herself from under his arm.

"You got us inside." Anna guided the light around and then reached for the draw cord above their head to bring white light to the hut and temporarily blind them both. "And now we've got power."

"How about that radio?" John pivoted on his leg to get his prosthetic back in place and worked it comfortably over his thigh.

"Right over here." Anna worked herself over to the corner and flicked a few switched before taking the chair. As she worked a pair of headphones over her head she nodded at his leg. "Did it damage your appendage?"

"Maybe dented it." John kept his trouser leg up to inspect it and then took a few tentative steps. "Works just fine. Worst case scenario is that I try to get myself a new one."

"I hear you can make your own with a 3D-printer nowadays." Anna fixed one headphone over her ear and held it there while the other earpiece went just behind her ear. "You could make one for every day of the week."

"With a formal one for Sundays?"

"Not a bad idea." Anna snorted and worked a dial on the setup in front of her before pausing. She narrowed her eyes and then carefully adjusted the knob the last little bit. "Station, Station this is Research Lodge. Station this is Research Lodge, please respond."

John waited, almost unconsciously holding his breath until Gwen's voice crackled from the other end of the line. "Research Lodge this is Station. Is that you Liar?"

"This is Liar, Wildling. Good to hear your voice."

"And yours." A beat of static held the line. "Why are you still at Research Station Liar?"

"Lorry forgot me." Anna winced at John, "Please let Good Behavior know. I'd hate for her to worry."

"Fire her maintenance team more like." A crackling laugh echoed through the radio. "Taken under advisement, Liar, that you and Earl of Lennox'll be stuck there for at least a day, if not more."

"Should we bet on more Wildling?" Anna waited, her eyes meeting John's as the response fizzled through the radio.

"Bet on three, to be safe. The storm's supposed to pass by tomorrow afternoon but flooding'll be high for another day. Especially where you are." Static fuzzed on the line. "Will you be alright for food?"

"We'll hold out, don't worry about us here." Anna shrugged, "And there are generators so we'll be fine for fuel and power."

"Conserve as you can and keep a report on the line." John waited through the pause. "Report back in twenty-four hours from now. Updates as they come from there."

"Will do."

"Be safe Liar."

"You too Wildling." Anna turned the radio off and removed the headphones so swivel in the chair toward John. "I guess we're stuck here for a stretch."

John hummed and walked the length of the building, ducking to see out the window, and then stopped right on the edge of the table that held the radio. "I guess we are." He drew a finger over her arm, "Whatever shall we do?"

Anna pushed the chair out from under her to stand and look John in the eye. "I'm sure we could think of a few things to do."

"Anything in particular you've got in mind, Ms. Smith?"

Her fingers drew down the material of his shirt. "I've got a list."

"Like what?"

She leaned forward, running her tongue over her lips. "Have you ever had sex in a rainstorm?"


	15. Truth Sets Us Free

When John's eyebrows went up and he coughed a bit, Anna suppressed the urge to leer at him. "Do what now?"

Anna put her hands on either side of him. "Have you, John Bates, ever had sex in a rainstorm?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Really?" Anna took her turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "In all your vast experience you've never-"

"Your first mistake," John held up a finger to stop her, "Is assuming that I've got vast experience."

"You've definitely tried a few things before."

"Sure," John shrugged, "A few things but not that."

"Like what?"

"Tried it once in a rowboat but that was a mistake I'll never make again."

"This," Anna let her finger run up his chest to trace a ring around his neck. "Isn't anything like that."

"Speaking from experience?"

"I've experienced a lot of rainstorms and I've liked what I've experienced from you so far so it's like adding peanut butter and chocolate."

John frowned, "I'm not a fan of peanut butter."

"Chocolate and coffee then."

"I take mine black."

Anna scowled at the grin on John's face. "Then whiskey to coffee and if you tell me you've never had or enjoyed an Irish coffee then I'm going to walk myself through a hurricane to get back to civilization."

"When you give me that kind of ultimatum what else can I do but tell you that I enjoy a good Irish coffee." John's grin eased a touch. "My mother made the best ones. We had them whenever I did anything significant with my life."

Anna held his gaze, putting her hands on his to draw them to her lips. She kissed both of them, making sure John's eyes never left hers, and then lowered their hands between them. "And now I know something else about you."

"What about you?" John shifted closer and ducked his head to kiss just under her chin. So lightly, in fact, Anna wondered if he even kissed her at all. "What could you tell me about yourself?"

Anna took a deep breath before speaking. "My father and I used to make peanut butter balls, dipped in chocolate, from a recipe he got from an American exchange student from Ohio. I was the only girl in my classes who liked them and some of the kids teased me because of it."

"So you hate peanut butter now?"

She shook her head, "It made me love them more."

"Negative stimulation strengthens your resolve?"

"Something like that." Anna tugged his hands, dragging him from the radio table. "But this won't be negative."

"Given all the speed bumps we've already hit I'm a bit leery of it all."

"Me too." Anna confessed and dropped their hands.

"I didn't mean-"

"But," Anna put her finger over his lips to silence him and drew back a second to bring her shirt over her head. "I want to start over fresh. This time we're as bare as we're ever going to be with one another."

"Honest." John cross his hands to his opposite hips and grabbed the hem of his shirt to strip it off as well and tossed it onto the table where Anna threw hers.

"Without reservation." Anna affirmed, her capris hitting the floor as she kicked her shoes away.

"Exposed to the bone." John stripped himself to his boxers and waited.

"Free of troubles and fears." Anna unclasped her bra and dropped her knickers to step out of them and leave herself standing naked in front of him. "Free to be ourselves."

Without waiting to see if he followed her, Anna opened the door and stepped out into the rain. The ease in the storm meant the rain hitting her body was not the bone rattling assault of water flying like bullets but the firm drum against her skin. She lifted her head to the sky, keeping her eyes closed until fingers settled on her hips.

They moved without words. Anna turned in his arms to face him and John lowered his head to whisper against her ear. "Are you well enough for this?"

"I'm fine." Anna's fingers grazed the back of his neck, stroking there before holding herself close to him so even the rain could not separate them, pooling in the tight places where their bodies met. "Now that I'm with you, I'm fine."

"Me too." His words vibrated along his jaw and into her skin. "I'm better with you here. I'm better with you."

Rocking together for a moment, John guided them to the sopping ground. Anna held him close when he tried to pull away and fused her lips to his when he went to speak. The squelch of water and mud warned her of the possible repercussions of her actions but when John returned her kiss she did not care. There was no room for cares when it was them together like this.

John's tongue swept toward her mouth and Anna lifted herself to return the kiss with as much passion as she could muster from their position. And when John pressed into her, it gave Anna the leverage she needed to engage even more fully in their embrace. An embrace she tightened with the spread and lift of her leg.

He bucked slightly at the adjustment and sank even further into her as she wound herself around them. They sinuously combined as if trying to prevent anyone from seeing where one began and the other ended. As their hands shifted and ran over the bodies they knew well but forgot in the interim, John broke their kiss and trailed his lips over her neck and shoulders. Anna's fingers and nails made their rounds over old haunts on his skin and dug in when he sucked a patch near her pulse and then at her collarbone.

A streak of lightning lit everything around them in an afterflash of white before a crash of thunder shook them. With the rain sliding between them to reduce friction and yet increase everything else, they stared at one another. The backs of Anna's fingers graced john's cheek and moved to his hair. They tangled there a second and pulled his lips back to hers. Moving under him with her body, over him with her lips, and with him in the rain, it all came together.

Her hands could not map his skin fast enough. The months apart, the distance between them, the distance they already covered… it all faded into the background as her fingers memorized him via tactile sensation. Every nook and cranny, each dip and crevice, any bump or scar immediately ingrained on her memory as their kisses broke as often as they breathed.

John's hands were no more idle than hers. Every motion set her aflame despite the rain hitting them. Even the humidity was nothing but a distant memory when she had him close to her. Had him moving over her, around her, and into her. His tongue exploring her mouth, his fingers kneading at her breasts, and then his fingers shifting inside her. The spread and contraction of her body echoed his motions until Anna arched toward him and crooked her knee around his hip to open herself to him.

Over the rain they could not hear one another and Anna, despite the pounding of her heart in her chest and the sprint of her blood ringing in her ears, barely contemplated her own existence when the rattle of a shriek tore from her chest. But she only felt it. She could not hear it and the scratch at her throat provided the only evidence it even happened. Except for the torrential rain drenching them and turning the ground to liquid around them, there was nothing to hear.

They were alone. Alone together in the middle of nowhere. Alone, together, and exactly where they needed to be.

If John asked Anna for permission she never heard it. She barely recognized John was still there, lost in the haze of her finish, until he entered her. The sharp focus on reality settled on where they joined. It was all she had and all she needed. The snap back to reality had her grasping for his cheeks to bring his lips to hers while her legs folded around him to bring his hips to hers.

No finesse, no care, no real consideration as she encouraged him faster, harder, deeper, and more desperately until their chests met with their expansive inhales. Their lips could stay together for no more than a second as they struggled to breathe. The rain slicked their bodies so they slipped in the mud and over one another but it only forced a friction between their limbs.

Friction Anna used when she lifted her hips and locked her ankles behind John's ass. One of her hands dug her nails into the flesh there to hold him to her while the other clawed marks into his side. John's teeth nipped and grated over her breasts and his fingers snaked between their bodies to leave her gasping and sobbing out a second finish. One that clenched her vaginal muscles around him in a stranglehold that clung until he released.

Their bodies shuddered and quivered around one another. The slowing tremor of the storm and their breathing matched for a second as the eye of the storm moved over them. In the infinite stillness they were the only people in the universe.

* * *

John brushed a strand of Anna's mud-streaked hair away from her face. "I think I've mussed you."

"I mussed myself." Anna drew her finger over his side. "What about you?"

"Me?" John craned his neck to see his side, "It's mud, it'll wash away."

"Mine too." Anna let her fingers continue to play over the muddy patches on him despite the weak patter of rain already leaking from an increasingly gray sky. "It'll start raining soon. We're almost out of the eye."

"I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can." John smiled at her, leaning forward for a kiss. "It's the calmest I've felt in a very long time."

"Me too." Anna gave in to his kiss, squishing over the mud to get closer to him.

"You keep agreeing to everything I say."

"Shouldn't I?" Anna squinted up at the sky as larger drops splashed over them. "It feels so primal."

"Laying in the mud and getting rained on?"

"No," Anna shook her head and propped up on her forearm. "Being in nature during a storm."

"Is that why you study them?" John let his fingers trace through the collection of droplets gathering on her back. He could not keep up with the frequency but he tried all the same.

"I study them because it's a fascinating science." Anna shifted toward him, her hand on his shoulder pushing him back to the ground. "I enjoy them because they're examples of absolute power. They're ruled by nothing, care for no one, and strike wherever they please. They're guided by nothing but the right combination of natural events. They're chaos and order in a magnificent blend of paradoxes."

"Sounds like someone I know." Joh settled on his back, the squelch of the damp ground pulling at him as Anna settled herself to rest her hands on his chest and her chin on her hands. His fingers pulled through her mud-clumping hair. "You're one of the finest paradoxes I've ever met."

"I don't know if that's a good thing."

"We're all paradoxes, Anna." John let his fingers slip through her hair, breaking apart the drying mud weakening under the growing strength of the rain. "I think your paradox is that you're worth far more than you think you are."

"And what's your paradox?"

"That I don't believe that I'm allowed to be happy." John let out a breath, his fingers working to run the tips of them along her cheekbone. "But I want to be happy with you. I want us to believe we could be happy with one another."

Anna shifted, moving to straddle John's legs as the beat of the rain scattered over them. "I want that too."

"Then let's be happy." John's hands smoothed over her arms and settled on her back as she leaned over him. "It won't be easy but I think-"

"John," Anna put her lips on his, pulling back only enough to speak. "Now's not the time for talking."

"No." He agreed and said nothing more.

Anna kissed between the streaks of mud on his chest. Her fingers slipped over them to streak some further and wipe the rest away on her downward trek. The rain slicked over them both but it did not make the slide simpler. Anna's knees dragged through the mud on either side of John's legs while her tongue and lips made their own path down his body. And when she reached her destination, her hands giving it away first, she did not pause.

John wished for a root or a tree branch or something to hold onto. The muddy ground offered no resistance to the scrabble of his fingers as Anna's mouth took him shallowly. And given his earlier expenditure he could not comprehend the trigger her very presence had.

A moment ago they lay in the mud together, naked as the day they were born, and he only postulated the barest of inklings. Now, with her hands cradling and fondling his sack while her mouth formed hollow swallowed around his tip, nothing could quench the inferno raging through him. Even an increase in the ferocity of the rain did little to slow the fire burning his blood to boiling.

She flicked her tongue over him, slipping into the slit that sent his shoulders and head into the mud as the sensations ripped a jagged streak of lightning through his back. He arched and almost threw her but Anna's knees clamped to either side of his solid left leg with her hands digging furrows into his hips. And her mouth, if he could count that as a point of stability for anyone else since it sure as hell was not one for him, sucked him deeper and pulled harder.

There was no quarter given and none he dared request as Anna hollowed her cheeks to take him deeper. The swirl of her tongue wrapped him until John wondered if he had enough blood in his body left to even think. Vaguely the sensation of a hand wrapping at his root to squeeze and tease forced John to incoherent babblings and moans and the one still manipulating the careful skin of his sack reduced him to grunts and groans.

The word 'primal' came back to John as he writhed and twitched in the mud under Anna's attentions. Or was it an onslaught. With his mind fritzing and spinning at the lack of blood and oxygen, he could only assume primal attention might just leave him a sodden mess in the mud. But what a way to die.

As the jerking to his hips reached levels beyond his control and John recognized that there was no control left to him, Anna pulled back. Her final kiss to him was almost as much as he could take but her hand clutching at his base kept him from moving. Sliding up his leg, her hair now hanging in strings and dripping water over them both, Anna mounted John and he bottomed out in a second.

There was nothing to do about it. Tension in his jaw or the clack of his teeth or even the whiteness of his knuckles trying to hold himself on the edge and stop the unavoidable were fruitless. He finished at the first gyration of Anna's hips.

John's head went back into the mud, his fingers aching as they finally loosed and his body tightening to finish. Anna's nails raked over his chest as she held herself steady over him and dug deep into his skin at the artless shunt of his hips against hers. The tiniest part of his brain forced his hands to her hips to try and steady them both through his finish but Anna managed on her own.

She grinned at him and went to move off but John's finger found purchase on her hips. The frown on her face went quickly from confusion to surprise as John used the mud to his advantage and slid under her. Anna flailed for just a moment but John arranged himself so her knees knocked his shoulders and his tongue could run over her.

The traces of their earlier activities, of his recent climax, and the rain streaked her thighs but he only followed it like a map. With each reach of his tongue Anna maneuvered lower until her hands found purchase on his shoulders. Her body bent to dig her knees into the mud just under his shoulders and John flinched a moment at the dig of her kneecaps into his shoulder blades. But with the scent of her, of them, and of rain mixing in a heady combination above his head there was no pain he would not endure.

He set to work with his tongue, following the natural curve of her folds to try and drink her dry. Every bit of her opened to him and he delved deeper. The cling of her vaginal walls slipped with the slickness of his tongue and her until the taste coated every bud that sent electrical shocks to his system. The kind of shocks that encouraged an otherwise spent body to tempt itself to rise again.

But John refused to focus on that. Refused to move his attention to anything but the generous stroke of his tongue over her muscles as he moved from broad to flat to broad and back in a never-ending pattern of seduction and sensuality that had Anna grinding on his face. With each rock of her hips against him, each subtle shift of her body to try and seek him deeper, each moan he drew from her throat gave John the energy he needed to ignore the lash of rain on his body so Anna would break over him.

When he added his fingers, tongue curling around her clit after tormenting it in a merciless series of taps and sucks between slides through her folds, Anna screamed. Her voice matched the thunder that rocked the earth beneath them and John continued so he could drag her climax out for as long as possible to leave her shuddering and trembling around him.

The concept of mutual pleasure must have broken through Anna's brain before John's because he gasped when her mouth closed over him again. The weight of her body, ignored in his lust for her orgasm to continue allowing him to drink her, settled over him as she found a comfortable position to pull his rising arousal into her mouth again. And she did not stop at his whimpers or urges to let it be.

So he did not either.

His fingers opened her further and he dug for that spot that had her crying out around him. The vibrations of her mouth around him gave John shivers but he dug his hands into her thigh and ass to try adjusting her position so he could better work his tongue around her clit. She just used her hands to squeeze and jerk him from root to tip. And so the sexual seeking continued.

The second climax John worked from Anna happened moments before her moan of pleasure forced his finish. He jerked and twisted, trying not to force anything, but Anna held his hips steady and swallowed. Swallowed until there was nothing left of either of them but boneless masses.

Her body slipped off his and John tried to sit up but his body would not allow it. Instead he shuffled sideways, forcing himself onto his forearms, and rose onto his knees. The slip of his prosthetic acted as the best chiding anyone could give him and John turned his head toward the rain.

Droplets hammered his face and, after a moment, John forced his head toward the ground. He blinked against the water and then took his hands to his hair to try and wash away the mud soaking there. Mud he also tried to wash from his body before turning to Anna.

She knelt on the ground, her hands on her knees, and had her eyes closed. The peace on her face did not show in a smile or a crinkle of her eyes. It was in the serenity of her expression as her body bore the brunt of the rain. Rain that eased mud from her with the help of John's hands.

His touch opened her eyes and they could stared at one another before John helped Anna to her feet. She scrubbed over him, turning him to manage the streaks still on his back, and he returned the action. Their hands wove into the hair of the other person to work mud and grass and anything else from the locks until they dripped and winced with each hard slap of rain on their bodies.

John opened the door to the radio station and shut it firmly behind them. After losing his hearing to the storm it was almost odd to be inside and have the rain removed from them. As if it was a distant memory instead of sluicing off him.

Material pressed into his hands and John raised an eyebrow at an old blanket. But Anna already wrapped herself in one and lay down on the slightly rusted cot in the corner. With her scoot to the side she left just enough space for John to join her.

He smiled and then paused, his hand going to his prosthetic. Anna shrugged and held her blanket tighter as John flipped the catches and put his other hand to the table to hold himself upright. It slipped away easily and he shook it out before turning it upside down to rest on the table and drain the water away. The cup and sleeve went next until it was only his scared and severed stump remaining.

For only a moment John paused but Anna lay on her side and watched him. Watched him as he hobbled and hopped over her. Watched him as he climbed onto the cot to face her and they manipulated the blankets to wrap over one another to dry themselves and stay warm. Watched him as he ran his fingers over her leg to find her hand.

The erratic nerves there twitched when he put her hand on his leg. She held still a moment, their eyes meeting in the dusky light of the single, yellow bulb hanging in the middle of the room. With his back to the light and his larger frame there was almost nothing of Anna but shadow. That shadow, however, had glittering eyes that did not shirk from John's as she stroked over his scarred and pockmarked skin.

"You are allowed to be happy, John." She whispered, almost silent as the station took the beating of the storm outside. "Be happy with me."

"I will." He tipped his head forward and kissed her.

Kissed her to distract her as his hand snuck between their bodies and slid into her folds. Kissed her to allow her tongue to delve the depths of his mouth while her fingers tangled in his hair and tugged him closer to her. Kissed her to distract himself when her other hand continued to stroke and caress what remained of his leg.

Their kisses only broke when they desperately needed air. Otherwise they persisted in memorizing one another's mouths or the columns of their necks or the runs of their shoulders, or the places under chins or at the edges of jaws. Those places they tried to express what words were insufficient to say. Those places that kept them together when John's fingers and thumb urged Anna to another climax.

She cried out into the skin of his neck and John rocked himself forward to slide the length of his impossible erection over her. Anna's gasps and keens echoed in his ears and ran over his skin when their hips met so his base bumped her clit. John clutched at her, holding her as close as he could, and when she raised her leg over his hip he thrust forward. Thrust forward and held himself still when Anna's teeth bit into his shoulder. Held still until her teeth released him.

The cot creaked and complained as they maneuvered themselves to rock and gyrate against one another. Each motion brought out a whine from the metal springs that they both paused for the first time but ignored afterward. Ignored as Anna moved her leg higher and opened herself more to him. Ignored when John's fingers pressed and rubbed at her clit to urge another orgasm from her. Ignored when they finished in an undignified rush that left them both clinging to one another in the way Anna's walls fluttered and strangled at him.

But eventually they separated. Pulled themselves together under the borrowed blankets on the creaking cot and waited out the storm. Held themselves still with only the crackle of the radio static to mix with the growing thunder of the rain on the roof. Sounds that, once, might have kept John on the edge of sleep until he went mad but now only soothed him to close his eyes with Anna in his arms.


	16. The Comforts of Home

Anna fluttered her eyes open and blinked. The warmth of her surroundings alerted her to nothing out of the ordinary until three things hit her simultaneously. First, the metronome of rain had stopped. Second, sunlight blinked at her through the window. Third, John's hands smoothed over her ass and thighs to move one of her legs.

And, as Anna whimpered, the fourth thing was John's tongue teasing a line over her folds. On her side, he impossibly twisted between her legs, Anna experienced John waking her up with the most exquisite torture. Her mind shouted that she must be dreaming but his tongue's experimental delve into her set that lie straight.

She was awake and John managed it with his tongue.

Her hand clawed for a pillow but the rickety cot was lucky to even boast a mattress not covered in mildew and mold. All she could grab ahold of was the metal edges. They flaked rust on her hands but she gripped all the tighter when John dedicated himself to sucking every part of her he could reach. Given his position, that was everything.

One whimper turned into a series of fumbling attempts to speak but eventually she just gave over to incoherent noises and moans until John finished her. Groaning into the mattress, which did bear a faint damp smell that could have been from them, Anna could only open her eyes to meet John's grin. Her had moved forward and wove into his hair to bring their mouths together.

"Hm," Anna ran her tongue over his bottom lip, "You don't taste too bad."

"You," John dipped to head and kissed her neck, "Taste fantastic."

"Part of wonders if I should be thanking you."

"Part of you?" John shifted, taking position behind Anna on the cot to hold her as the weak sunlight making a break in the clouds dappled the little station. "What does the other part of you want?"

Anna pulled John's arm around her and maneuvered herself so they were as close as they could be. "To wake up naturally, for once in my life, and just lay here."

"I thought the way I woke you up was natural." John positioned his other arm behind her head and let the arm she held slip just enough so his fingers could brush over her skin. "But I'm open to the other idea."

"The only problem is that we still have to get back across the lawn." Anna shook out her hair slightly, "I think this is the most like a rat's nest I've ever had it."

"I think it looks fine."

"You say that now." Anna twisted her head to kiss his cheek. "But it'll be a nightmare to try and brush out later."

"The other option is that you just shave it all off."

"I'd rather die."

John laughed and kissed just under her jaw. "What, are you afraid I only like you for your hair?"

"No, I'm afraid I've got an odd shaped head and the only way to make sure I don't is to keep the hair on it." Anna released John's arm for a second and then realized it might have been a mistake.

He seized the opportunity to take the fingers just gracing gently over her collarbone to her breast and started kneading it. A flick of his thumb over her nipple distracted her enough so John could use his leg to nudge between hers. She rotated slightly and it gave John the other opening he needed to dip his head under her arm and start kissing at her breasts.

The world could have shifted of its axis and she was sure she could not have cared less. When John's hand maneuvered her thigh so he could thrust forward Anna decided the world could end and she would not care. This was her life now and she submitted herself to the overwhelming pleasure now coursing through her. With that she gave herself over to it and fell over the edge.

They lay together afterward, John's easy breathing raising the hairs on her neck but Anna kept herself still. There was nowhere else to go and her body rang with perfect contentment. The only thing to disturb her was the squawk of the radio.

"No," Anna groaned and rolled herself off the cot. Her hands caught the edge of the table when her legs wobbled but she grabbed the headset and tuned the dial just right. "This is Research Lodge, ready to receive."

"This is Station, good to know you rode out the storm."

Anna swallowed, trying to keep back her laugh as John cackled in the background. "Rode it just fine Station. Liar reporting that she and the Earl of Lennox are both alive and well."

"Good. And Good Behavior reports that the crew aren't fired. Just in trouble."

"Good to know." Anna went to sit and then realized she did not want her bare ass on the metal chair so she remained standing, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "What else can you tell me Wildling?"

"We've got aftermath reports on your position."

"Damage?"

"Not as bad as we were expecting. Julian was only a category four so we got off easy."

"How easy?"

"You'll still be stuck out there for at least two more days, maybe three. That's the soonest the culvert'll drain. The roads here took some damage but not much. Most of it's cosmetic but there's still some possible interruptions. They need all the available lorries they've got to work cleanup." There was a pause. "You alright to sit tight there for a stretch Liar?"

"Earl of Lennox and I can hold down the fort here without a worry." Anna winked at John, working back into his prosthetic and clothes. "We'll be at the main house. If the phone lines are working then-"

"They say they'll be fixed by this evening. I'll phone the lodge then."

"When should I dial you back through this?"

"If you don't hear anything by twenty-hundred hours then give us a ring on this." Anna waited through another pause. "All set there Liar?"

"Good to go Wildling. Research Lodge out." Anna flicked off the switches and took her clothes from John with a smile. "Think you can stand me for another two to three days?"

"If we sleep through most of it then it'll be like you're not even here." John kissed her forehead. "I think our first orders of business should include food."

"I think I might supersede food with a shower."

"Don't blame me if I ration everything and there's not enough food left for you." John opened the door to the station and let her out first. "I'm making a pretty decently sized breakfast."

"We're not fighting the Russians here." Anna squelched through the mud on the lawn. "We don't have to ration that closely."

"But she used estimated time, that means she's not entirely sure of the when of our rescue."

"I'm sure Gwen's awfully tired of rescuing me." Anna snorted, "It's almost becoming her full-time occupation."

"Maybe keeping you out of trouble could be my full-time occupation." John put his hand on the door to the lodge but Anna stayed standing under the overhang. He pivoted in the door and then frowned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I know we've said we want to be together, to stay together, and I… I'm just wondering if either of us has really thought through what that means."

John stepped down, letting the door shut itself. "Are you saying you don't-"

"I'm saying…" Anna sighed and tried to put her hand through her hair but it caught in the tangles. "I'm saying we need to shower, eat, and maybe sleep on something not older than us before we discuss what we want. What we really mean."

"Because we're confused?"

"Because I think we need a plan." Anna stepped forward and took his hand. "It's not the end of the world, John. I intend to act on my words. I want you to stay here. I want us to stay together. I just want to know how that all works out."

"Me too." John raised their joined hands and kissed hers. "But you're right, that's a conversation we need to have a bit later."

"I think I might take a bath." Anna pushed through the door, "If I remember correctly there are some nice ones with jets."

"Been here before have you?"

"If you ask nicely I might tell you about the wild weekend Mary and I had here with Gwen a few years ago." Anna winked at John and went up the stairs. "I might've even left a pair of my knickers here so you never know."

* * *

John set his pencil down and tossed the sketch pad to the side. It bounced on the sofa and the pencil rolled toward the space between the cushions. Reaching for it only set it closer but Anna's hand stopped it. She held it between two fingers and extended her hand toward him.

"I think you misplaced this."

"I think I did." John took it back, "Enjoy your nap?"

"Yes, and the tub." Anna rounded the sofa and curled into a chair near the fireplace. "I always wondered why they had one of these here when it's usually so hot you're drenching your clothes with sweat."

"It's more of an ambiance thing. There's a peace found in watching fire flames lick at life." John shrugged, flipping his pencil between his fingers. "It's like the ocean. People find it comforting because the tide almost matches the steady heartbeat and so it sets us right. A steady rhythm tells us when to breathe and when to beat."

Anna tipped her head sideways on the arm of her chair and smiled at him. "You should've been a poet, Mr. Bates."

"There was a poetry to what I did when I was a lawyer."

"No," She shook her head, curling into an oversized shirt John suspected was his. "I mean a poet. Not an artist with words but someone who breathes the philosophy of them with every inhale."

"I'm not the only one who should've been a poet."

Anna shrugged and tugged her knees up to tuck them near her chest. "Would now be a bad time for that conversation we need to have?"

"Probably not." John reached for his sketchbook, flipping to a new page and bringing his pencil around. "Ready when you are."

"What are you going to do with that?" Her nose scrunched with her frown. "This isn't a business meeting."

"But I need to focus and this'll help me do that." John relaxed his wrist and just followed the natural lines. "Whenever you're ready Ms. Smith."

"Okay." She reached down between the chair and the fireplace to show him a book. "What do you do once you've found this?"

John paused, nodding at the book about James Gillespie. "I have to fulfill the terms of the commission. That's the way it works in this business."

"Yes," Anna laid the book on her knees, flipping through the pages while continuing to stare at him. "But what then? Do you deliver the painting and then come back here or are you staying on the island and sending the results? Once you've finished this commission I assume there's another one you'll have to finish, so then what?"

"If I actually ever get eyes or lens on this butterfly," John did not even glance up at her, busy with the scratching of his pencil. "Then I do the painting. If there is no butterfly and we all determine that James Gillespie was a man addled in the brain by fever and religious necessity then I'll simply return the money and look for another commission to take instead."

"And you can do that?"

"I've got paintings I can already sell." John grinned, "Minus the two I still need to give you."

"You'll spoil me." Anna leveled a finger at him. "But what'll you do?"

"Painting is, thankfully, not a stationary profession. Unless I've got to go somewhere specific for a painting or something."

"Like this trip was for you?"

John nodded, pausing his in work to look up at her. "Are you worried I'd never come back?"

"No," Anna shook her head, biting her lip through a little smile that reeked of both mischief and a bit of grief. "That would require me believing that you'll somehow find another blonde meteorologist on another island somewhere with a sadly lacking love life and a passion for one-legged artists."

"The odds of that happening to me again are pretty slim." John smiled and moved his pencil but did not continue, focusing on her face. "But you're worried about it all still."

"The last time you left I found out I was pregnant and then got kidnapped."

"The odds against a repeat of that are also pretty high."

"The odds of it happening once were high and yet I could've made a fortune if I even knew to bet on them." Anna worried the book in her hands, running her fingers over the edges or drumming on it. "I just worry that we've gone about this all bass-akwards."

"Because we started with a few stimulating conversations and then moved right into the part where I was helping you cheat on your scummy boyfriend?" John let his pencil work again. "I can understand why we'd be more than a little bass-akwards in our particular attempt at anything even resembling a relationship."

"But we both seem to want one." Anna pressed and John waited to answer until his pencil stopped moving. When it had he took the notepad over to Anna and put it in her hands to take the book from her.

"You mentioned, yesterday, that we rushed into it all. That there should be a period where we're getting to know one another and then decide to move in together before we decide we want marriage and children with each other." John tapped his sketchbook, "That's what I'm proposing. We're starting from the beginning… we've just had a bit of a head start."

John moved back to the sofa and sat down with the book. He thumped to a page and took out the scrap of paper he used as a marker to continue reading there. But in less than a minute the sketchbook landed on top of it and forced it down so John could see Anna's face. Their eyes met and she moved the book out of his hands to open the sketchbook to the first page.

"When did you draw this?"

"The morning you left, that first one at the hotel." John maneuvered so Anna could take the spot next to him. "I dated them all at the bottom."

Anna flipped through them slowly, taking in each sketch and occasionally letting her fingers ghost over them so as to not smudge the graphite. There were a few of her from back when they were on the beach. John winced as he looked at them, wondering how he managed to mishandle the proportions. But as they went on he tried to read Anna's blank face.

The face that stayed blank when she noted the studies he did of her when she was asleep in his hotel room. The ones of her sleeping naked on the borrowed bed. Or the one of her wrapped in a sheet and staring out the window at the storm that drove them to Miami. Or his recreations of her in the rain at the airport with the storm in her eyes.

Her fingers turned the pages, cycling through the ones he did when he was away and trying to remember her. Remember her laughing or what she looked like through their skype sessions. Or the ones he sketched of her in climax. The ones he tried to remember but could never perfectly capture.

When she reached the one he just did, of her sitting across the room from him, Anna set the sketch book on the small table in front of them and faced him. "You didn't really capture it right."

"What?" John's brain futzed, "Capture what right?"

"Of me, when I climax." Anna tapped her finger toward the sketchbook. "You've got a good memory and they're all beautiful but you didn't quite capture it. You wanted to but I think you were afraid to really put it down on paper."

"I didn't want to remember it incorrectly."

"Then," Anna crossed her arms over her chest and pulled his shirt over her head to drape over the back of the sofa. John's mouth went dry at the sight of her bare breasts. "I think you should do a few now. When you're not trying to remember through the fog of orgasm. It might help you actually capture the moment."

John's fingers fumbled for the pencil but he retrieved and the sketchbook. He flipped the page, almost tearing it from the bindings, and changed places to the chair anna vacated. It dragged across the floor, complaining about the shift, but John could not care less about it as Anna stood to drop the rest of her clothing and leave it hanging over the back of the sofa.

His hands shook and he clutched the pencil tightly a moment before swallowing to start. She sat on the sofa, her legs crossed and her arms over the back of it. "How do you want me?"

"In any position you want."

Anna managed a smile and tilted her head back. "We'll start here then. I'm rather comfortable."

John hurried as quickly as he dared. Anna shifted and twitched occasionally but she kept herself as still as she could for him and John could not be more grateful. Each line of his pencil both captured her and did not. While he could respond to the technical difficulties of sketching her, as a subject, there was something for him personally he could not capture on the sketchpad. But he intended to try.

Flipping the page, John nodded at her. "Next position."

Anna turned her head, dropping her hands to her lap and tapping her foot in the air before slipping sideways to lay longways on the sofa. "This one alright?"

"You're the model."

"No one's ever said that about me before." Anna extended her neck back slightly and pulled her arms over her head so the line of her body tightened. "I should've taken that job as a live model back in school."

"I'm glad you didn't." John tried to work quickly but abandoned his first sketch for the one where Anna looked right at him.

"Why's that?"

"Because then someone else would've seen you like this and I'm glad I'm the first one." John paused, letting his pencil work while he risked his eyes on her. "Hopefully the only one."

"As you said, the chances of you meeting another version of me in a similarly random chain of events is preposterous. The inverse of that postulation is also true." Anna turned her head back toward the ceiling. "I couldn't find another person like you if I tried."

"Sure you could." John worked another sketch. "You could go to sleep and dream of a better man and find one."

"No," Anna shook her head against the cushion. "I couldn't do that."

"Why not?" John finally paused, his pencil finished and turned another page.

Anna met his gaze, sitting up and holding herself up with her arms behind her on the cushion. "Because there aren't any."

"Right there, is you're willing."

"You're pretty quick so I can't complain."

John bit back his smile and continued to work. "If, in a hypothetical situation, I were to ask you out on a real date where I get all dressed up and you get all dressed up and we decided to do diner, would you be up for that?"

"I think I'd love the chance to listen to your favorite color, what you studied in school, and the entire anthology of any pets you had as a kid." Anna laughed, "We've not had those conversations before."

"All of ours have been pretty serious, haven't they?" John nodded at her, "Next pose?"

"I think," Anna faced him and spread her legs. "I need to help you with your more… personal drawings."

"Wha-" John looked up and his mouth dropped slightly. "You're what…"

"You kept trying to get just the right expression," Anna ran two of her fingers over her tongue before drawing them down her chest. "I think you could use a little help with it."

"Anna you don't-"

"Don't what?" Anna's fingers held right above the crux of her thighs. "Don't need to show you what you watched on skype for three months?"

"I-" John's words failed him but Anna only grinned.

"At least this time you can actually do something about it."

Her fingers worked slowly and John swallowed constantly to keep his throat from drying out. Every movement of her fingers drew him in like a hypnotist until his wrist responded on reflex alone. Pages filled with sketches of her turned until John could take watching her no longer.

Bringing the sketchbook with him, John set it carefully on the edge of the table. He adjusted his position so he could still sketch and let the fingers of his nondominant hand join the work her fingers were already doing. The scratch of the pencil worked swiftly, trying to capture the moments of change on her face as her micro expressions fluctuated under the dual action of their hands.

John dipped his head and let his tongue join the work, pausing to capture the shading of her cheeks or the rise of her chest or the hitch in her breathing as her face froze for the second it took the sensation to log in her mind. And they drove forward, John pausing whenever he wanted to capture a moment and even pulling her hand away to extend the moments of her pleasure. He held to the last second until she finally tumbled over the edge.

Anna huffed for air, her gasps filling John's ears as he eased back off his complaining knees to look at his sketches. The darkness of the lines betrayed his force as his hand tried to compensate for the tension in his own body. Tension that pulled his trousers tight when he sat back in his chair to look over the sketches.

But the sketchbook tumbled out of his hand. Anna knocked it free and took John's lips with hers. He froze for a moment, unsure of how to handle the moment, but Anna's insistent fingers on his belt buckle told him everything he needed to know. After that, his brain just shut itself off.

They shimmed and managed to get his trousers and boxers lowered so Anna could mount him in the chair. Her body quivered and shivered above him as she took him in a single move. And even as John tried to breathe through the rush of sensations Anna did not give him a moment to recover.

Her motions were hurried but not flustered. The control, as her fingers grabbed the arms of the chair around him, matched the determination in her eyes as if she dared him to keep up with her. John could not leave the challenge unmet and moved his hands to her hips to thrust up into her. Hard enough to send her head lolling back on her neck and her sounds echoing in the large space.

There was a second that John considered the utterly exposed nature of their position. An exposure he had not remembered when he had her naked on the sofa. And one he only barely considered now that she rode him with all the expertness of a horsemaster or a jockey. If someone was out there, despite the storm and the flooded roads, then they would have to enjoy whatever show they got because John could not find it in himself to care.

Lowering his head, the titillating thought at the back of his mind that someone might be enjoying their little exhibition as much as he was driving him, John took Anna's breast in his mouth. His tongue moved over her nipple and then sucked it determinedly while his hands dug into her hips to control the speed and depth of his drives. Drives he wished could piston better but their position prevented the kind of movement he needed.

In a few moments one of Anna's hands snaked between them to handle herself the way she needed and John merely turned his attention to her other breast. The artist in him wished he could film them to capture the anatomy of their motions and the colors dancing over her skin. But the jealous man in him hoped no one could ever capture the moments they shared like this.

Moments that ended in a flash of satisfaction.

John laid a final kiss on Anna's breast and raised his head to meet her lips. She set her trembling hands on either side of his face and kissed him deeply before pulling back. "I think I'd like to go on that date with you."

"Are you free tonight?"

"I'll have to check my schedule." Anna grinned and then kissed him again. "But I think I could manage it."


	17. Like the End of a Dream

John pulled at his collar and debated on the jacket before settling for the tie instead. A quick glance in his suitcase had him choosing the waistcoat as well but he looked himself over in the mirror only to sigh. "How'd you manage to get this all done so backward?"

Shaking his head, he left the en suite and walked toward the bed but stopped. He paused, pulling his watch out of his cuff to read it, and then moved into the sunroom. The canvases drying there displayed his series inspired by the photographs he took on his way to the lodge and he smiled as he looked over them. The children playing in the street, the twisting roads, the neighborhoods, and even the excruciating detail of a leaf dripping water.

He sighed, gathering them up to lean against the wall with the others he finished while away, and reset the easels with new canvases. Canvases he then studied with his sketchbook in his hand. He flipped through the pages at each canvas before tearing the perforated page away to tack it onto the appropriate canvas. The last one he left blank and set the sketchbook to the side.

Reaching for a pencil, he closed his eyes to bring the memory to the fore of his mind. And there, with his pencil moving in determined sketching strokes, he mapped out his plan. A knock at his bedroom door made him pause but he quickly noted his thoughts on the corner of the canvas before dropping the pencil and closing the doors behind him.

They snapped shut as Anna pushed into the room, her eyebrows raised. "I hope I didn't interrupt any personal time."

"Just needed a moment for some ideas." John jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the closed doors. "Had to get something down before I forgot."

"Can I see?" Anna made to edge around him but John stood in her way. "You can't tell me you're nervous about me seeing your work now. You once painted something while I was in your shower."

"This is different." John took her hands and pulled them out to look over her. "Where did you find this dress?"

"In a closet full of abandoned items that Mary's always supposed to clean out but never does." Anna slipped her hands free and took a spin in the dress that tied behind her neck and dipped so low over her back John knew she could not possibly be wearing a bra. It whispered over the carpet in his room, the satin shining blue as she held out the edges of the skirt. "Like it?"

"I think you should keep it."

"It's actually mine." Anna winked at him, "Told you I forgot a few things at the rager Mary held here."

"Some time you'll have to tell me all about that party." A beep in the distance had John grabbing Anna's shoulders and steering her out the door. "But right now our dinner's done and I don't want it to burn."

"That's right," Anna turned out of his hold when he got her out the door, taking the edge of her skirt and holding it up dramatically as she prepared to descend the stairs. "You cook too."

"I cook a few things but those few things I cook well." John clarified.

"Okay." Anna waited but John did not move. She swept her free hand toward the bottom of the stairs but his frown only deepened.

"I'm confused."

"I'm going to take the chance for a dramatic entrance so I need you waiting at the bottom of the stairs."

"Are we about to reenact _Beauty and the Beast_?"

"I'd call it something different."

"Oh?" John hurried down the stairs and made a show of putting his hands over his eyes. "And what would you call it?"

" _Beauty and Bates_."

John opened his eyes and, despite the tease in him that did not want to admit it, watching her come down the stairs with one hand holding her skirt out of the way struck him. The light reflecting off her hair, glinting in her eyes, and moving over the material of her skirt in waves forced an ethereal lens. His fingers itched to hold a pencil and sketch it. Sketch each descending stair in slow motion until she stopped in front of him.

Her finger pushed his chin to bring his teeth together. "Dramatic enough?"

"It was perfect." John took a breath, "But isn't it safer to hold your skirt with both hands?"

"I need one for the rail." Anna waited for John to offer her the crook of his elbow. "And, besides, I'm a lady."

"What's that got to do with it?"

"Traditionally, a lady only held her dress with one hand so everyone would know she was well-bred."

John frowned, "Then who held it with two?"

"Prostitutes mostly." Anna waited as John guided her into the dining room and pulled a chair out for her. "Date and chef for the evening?"

"Waiter too." John pushed her chair in and moved to the long bar that hid the kitchen. "But I think it's a chance to really sell myself."

"Right," Anna snapped her fingers, "Because this is our first official date."

"That's right." John ducked into the oven and removed the glass dish, narrowing his eyes at it before giving a dissatisfied sound. "If only I'd planned ahead. I could've gotten the right cheese for this."

"What is it?"

"Grown-up macaroni and cheese." John brought it over to the table and prepared the ladle for the two plates. "It's angel-hair pasta, since I don't really go for elbow macaroni, and I didn't have the shells."

"There's a difference?"

John put a hand to his chest and scoffed, "Every dish I make is a version of noodles. There is a difference because pasta is my life."

"You didn't choose the carb life, the carb life chose you?"

"That's right." John dished some for Anna and then himself. "In a perfect world there would be gouda, a little muenster, and a nice sharp cheddar in here but I dealt with the pepperjack and the mild cheddar I was given."

"Or grated." Anna managed, taking her fork to it. "What else you have in here?"

"Green beans, alfredo sauce, a little seasoning, and a dash of chili."

"This sounds like an ambitious teenager somehow leaned out their parents' kitchen cupboards and made dinner in desperation."

"It's how it started." John put his napkin on his lap, spreading it over his legs. "But it's been a staple of my adult diet for years."

"Win you many dates?"

John winced, "There's a tendency with women to think the moment you offer them dairy, carbs, or anything with taste that you're trying to kill them."

"All those dieters?"

"That'd be them." John took a bite, "Vera didn't mind it but she was eating take-away before I came along so I guess all I did was make a rather poor health habit a bit more cost-effective."

"There are benefits to that." Anna chewed a second, "So you only end up with heart problems and not also too broke to fix them."

"There's that." John nodded at her, "I haven't ruined your diet have I?"

"I live on an island, John." Anna rolled her eyes at him, "I don't have a diet. I have supplements, vitamins, minerals, an overabundance of fruit, and more pork than I could ever hope to consume. I'm going to be alright."

"Just checking." John cleared his throat, "So, what's your favorite color?"

Anna laughed.

Conversation staggered, halted, restarted, and evened out. They managed the hurdles of discussing all those things they forgot before. Old girlfriends and boyfriends mingled in the names of cousins and distant vacation destinations they wished they could see before bemoaning bad school trips to places they never wanted to go again. Jobs, university memories, and the few awkward events that left both of them red in the face… from embarrassment and laughing too hard. Anna denied John the details of the party Mary had thrown at the lodge and he refused to tell her about the first date he ever went on.

Eventually the plates emptied, their glasses could not be refilled again without a trip to the restroom, and they eased into a gentle, contented silence. John nodded at Anna's plate, "Done with that?"

"I think I should be." She turned her head, "Where's the nearest bathroom?"

"Down that hallway." John gathered the plates. Anna went to help but he hissed at her. "You just said you needed to use the restroom."

"I don't want to leave you to do all this yourself." Anna motioned toward the table. "It's the rule that if you cook the other person cleans."

"But see," John continued gathering the plates and blocked her attempt to help. "If we were in a restaurant then this would be the moment you excuse yourself to the restroom. I pay the bill, the waiter takes the plates, and someone on kitchen staff takes care of the leftovers."

"I do appreciate the art to this but I don't know if it's necessary to be so pedantic when we're the only people in this lodge."

"All the more reason to keep to our manners." John jerked his head in the direction of the restroom. "Go sort yourself now and I might leave dishes for you to do when I go."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him but left for the restroom, her dress flipping around the corner. John put all the plates to soak and worked the leftover dinner into containers to store in the small fridge before adding the glass dish to soak. As he wiped his hands clean, Anna snapped the towel from him and pointed to the apron she recovered from somewhere and donned.

"Chef's helper is ready to help."

"They're all soaking."

"Good. Then you can go and sort yourself and I might leave a dish for you." Anna handed back to him and John went to speak but she shook her head. "No arguments. Go make yourself feel a little more at ease."

When John came back from the restroom, Anna hung the apron over a rung and wiped her hands on it before smiling at him. "Many hands make light work."

"I thought there were too many cooks in the kitchen."

"I think that's only applicable when you're actually cooking. We were cleaning, it's very different."

"Is this what we'll have to look forward to?" John leaned his elbows on the counter, crossing his arms to hold himself there while Anna walked toward him. "You and I trying to one-up one another as we complete mundane tasks?"

"I won't be one-upping you in regards to the bathroom, since I hate cleaning those, but I might sneak your shirts into an ironing pile if I've got a good show to watch." Anna stopped next to him, her fingers playing with the ones resting on his arm. "Would you want something like that?"

"I'd like to have someone I could trust in the house. Someone who's not perfect but would take a vacuum to a room or even wipe down a counter occasionally." John shrugged, "Someone who'd want to find a compatible cleaning style with me so our house could be a home we'd like to bring people to see."

"You ate out with your friends a lot when you were married, didn't you?"

John nodded, "I didn't want them in the house. Even if I cleaned it I was always afraid there was something lurking about that a colleague or friend would find. Something to confirm what they already knew about my absolutely horrible marriage. I didn't want that kind of evidence out there."

"I never wanted anyone at Alex's house." Anna curled her fingers back. "Mostly because I didn't feel welcome there either. I never dropped by unless he asked me but that was usually because he'd gotten some kind of take-away and wanted to justify the sex he wanted later by saying he got dinner."

"Cheap."

"Made me feel cheap too and I didn't want anyone else to know I felt that way about my relationship." Anna snorted, "Not that it helped hide anything. Everyone, as you can probably tell, knew what a shit person he was."

"It's amazing." John mused, interlocking their fingers. "We all think we're much better actors than we really are."

"We can't help wanting to be different people."

John met Anna's eyes, "I know I shouldn't ask this on a first date but-"

"Yes."

He blinked, "You don't even know what I was about to ask you."

"If it's anything along the lines of, 'Do you want to come to my room' then the answer's yes."

John extended his hand to Anna and she took it without a word.

Their whole walk from the dining room, up the sweeping staircase, and to the doors of John's room was silent. A charge spit through the hush, as if a single wrong move might diffuse it and anyone hoping to ignite it needed to judge carefully. Time mattered and when John's hand turned the knob on his door, it was that time.

Her hands took the edges of his waistcoat and used the angle to jerk his mouth to hers. But once there, their lips meshing immediately, they moved slowly again. It set the pattern for the evening as each motion engaged quickly before slowing a moment later.

For a split second before his mind occupied itself with Anna and how he hoped the evening would continue to go, John flashed to tango lessons from years ago. The quick-quick-slow motions that guided the dance famed for sensuality. A dance he hoped taught him enough as he attempted to seduce Anna on their first official date.

The whisper of her voice against his ear as her tongue darted out to lick before kissing there, broke this solitary thought. "I loved the waistcoat. A very nice touch for the evening."

"And here I thought it might've been a bit much." John breathed against her neck as his hands slid over the bare skin of her back. "I loved this dress."

"Dress to impress, as my mother always used to say."

"Too bad," John kissed to the material that tied behind her neck and tugged the knot there loose to allow it to flutter from her collarbones. "Because I don't think either of us need to be dressed for this next part."

The top of the dress floated between them and John almost groaned when he realized he was right. Anna's exposed breasts beckoned to him and he heeded their call without another thought. His mouth took one of the perfect offerings and his tongue hurried to swirl around her nipple.

Anna's fingers dug into the hair at the back of his head, holding him close to her as they swayed in the bluish light of his room. With only the yellow light seeping through the door from the corridor and the glow of the moon that finally broke through the clouds to light their way. John maneuvered them toward the bed. His lips continued to leave kisses and nips to her delicately sensitive skin of her breasts before he turned them so Anna's back was to the bed.

A shimmy of her hips dropped the dress to the floor and John's mouth left her breast to stare at the sight before him. Anna's little laugh vibrated through her chest and to his hand at her hip. "I found a few other things."

John's hands moved down her legs and he sank to the floor to appreciate the garter belt and knickers she picked out. "Are these-"

"All mine." She went to laugh again but could only utter another breathy response when John ran his tongue along the strip of material covering her from view. "Thank heavens for thongs."

He pulled the thong away, working it over the garter belt, and gripped her thighs with determined fingers as his mouth set to work. Anna's fingers returned to his hair, furrowing it in patterns he was sure would stick straight to the ceiling. But there was nothing in him that cared when he could have Anna's taste on his tongue. A taste he continued to enjoy until she came with a sob.

"You always taste phenomenal."

"And you're insatiable."

"For you." John helped Anna lay back on the bed and removed his waistcoat and belt before going for his trousers.

Anna stopped him, her hand covering his on his shirt buttons, and pried them apart herself. When he tried to remove his tie she stopped him there too, tugging him with it to bring their lips together before looping it from over his head to hers. He kissed her back to the bed when she let his shirt fall to the floor and her feet managed to catch her heels in the sides of his trousers.

John could not even spare a moment for her artistry in the action when Anna's free hand cupped him through his boxers. A strangled groan came from his throat and accompanied a growl when Anna whispered in his ear. "Let me hear you John. It's just us here and I'd hate to think you're shy."

He thrust toward her hand and then whimpered when she snuck under the elastic band to wrap her hand around him. They maneuvered together, Anna never losing her grip on him, to help him out of his prosthetic so the only clothing between them was John's tie around Anna's neck, her garter belt, and the heels she never kicked to the floor. But none of it mattered when their lips met at the same time John slid himself inside her.

They rocked and moved together, Anna using her knees at his sides as leverage for her hips so John struck right at her clit with his pelvis. He angled as well, almost laughing at the reality that with his stumped appendage it gave him better control to strike where she cried out, until Anna's fingers raked down his arms and she shrieked to the ceiling. A lift of her hips, his hand at her ass, his lips fused to hers, his other hand at her breast, and John fell into that sweet oblivion with her.

It was a moment. It was eternity. All John knew was that his hand only touched the warm spot on the bed next to him. Before his eyes even opened he frowned and shifted under the sheets. But when he opened his eyes the frown eased to a smile.

Anna stood at the window, watching the beginnings of another rain storm gently beat against the surface and streak it in a race never to be predicted, wearing his shirt. It did not quite cover her so the lower curve of her ass peeked from the bottom of it. John swallowed hard, trying to stop his reaction but there was no saving himself from the moment.

With a grunt he sat up and Anna turned, smiling when she realized he sat up. "Sorry. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Not sure if you did since you're not making any noise but…" John shrugged, squinting at his watch. "What are you doing up this early?"

"Got Gwen's call, finally." Anna held up her phone before putting it on the table between the two chairs by the window. "They got power and a time line. It's a firm end-of-the-week kind of thing."

"That's when they could get here?" John swung his legs to the side of the bed and reached for his prosthetic. "Good news for you?"

"Not quite sure, actually." Anna rested her shoulders on the window to watch as John reattached the piece. "It's all kind of like a dream here."

"Because we're cut off from the world, drenched the second we step outside, and guaranteed to be eating out of cans for the next few meals?"

"A bit." Anna chuckled and then turned back to the window. "Mostly because there's nothing else here. There aren't any distractions, there's no one else, and it's like whatever or whoever we were before doesn't exist here."

"And you don't want to go back to where it exists?"

"I don't want to have to face the reality that this could all be a dream." Anna's forehead rested on the glass. "The risk of meeting people you really like is realizing that, eventually, they leave your life."

"I doubt that'll happen with us." John got off the bed and walked up behind Anna to wrap his arms around her. "I don't see it happening with us."

"What makes you so sure?"

"For starters, to get the difficult part out of the way, you and I lost a child together."

Anna shrugged in his grip, "That drives people apart all the time."

"But they're always connected." John kissed her temple. "Shared pain is still shared experience and we have that. It'll always be a touchstone in our lives for whatever lies ahead."

"Is there something else you're about to say that's not borderline depressing?"

"Secondly," John hugged her tighter, a move that pulled up the shirt so her ass now rested bare against his beginning arousal. "I've got those paintings I did of you. That's memorable and won't allow you to leave my life."

"Anything else on this list?"

"Thirdly," John's arms loosened and his hands moved under her shirt to stroke between her legs. "I don't think I like the idea of you ever leaving my life."

"Even if everything between us is mad and-" Anna's breath hitched when his fingers eased into her. "Too fast and too unreal?"

"Even after all that." John murmured against her neck, kissing the skin exposed as the shirt shifted and moved over her. "It's only a dream if you wake up Anna. And I don't intend to ever wake up."

Her hand found the back of his neck and pulled him so their eyes could meet. "I don't want to wake up either."

"Then don't."

Their lips joined and his fingers continued their manipulation. They sank into her as his thumb angled to press and rub over her clit before flicking it in time with the kisses he pressed to her shoulders when she broke their kiss. Her gasps and keens drove him until the strangling cling of her vaginal walls around him signaled her end.

Withdrawing his fingers from her slowly, John caught the hem of the shirt and lifted it so he could drive forward. Anna's hands went to the window, to hold herself up, and John's hands settled on her hips to hold her steady. To keep her flexible but still when he pistoned into her with each thrust. To keep himself anchored as the plunge sank him deep into the scorching slickness there. To keep them together when Anna angled herself to drive back with each stroke that took him from her.

They came together, Anna's hands fists beating without rhythm against the glass, and John's fingers digging bruises into her hips. His forehead rested on the space between her shoulder blades held there a moment before slipping from her.

She shook and trembled so John moved to lift her into his arms. For a moment she made as if to move from him but John pushed into the sunroom. He set her on the edge of the desk and soothed her quivering muscles with a gentle massage to her legs. When she calmed enough, John set his hands on either side of her to make sure she looked in his eyes.

"I don't plan on this being a dream.'

"But we don't-"

"No, we don't." John shook his head and then pushed off the desk to point to the canvases. "These are all going to be you."

"I don't understand."

"I paint what I love, Anna. Even if it's supposed to be a commission. I have to love what I paint and all of these," He gestured to each canvas in turn, "Will be of you. Because, and it's going to sound absolutely mad when I say it, I am in love with you. I want to love you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and, if you'll let me, we could love one another."

John came back to her, stopping in front of her. "Will you let me love you, Anna? Will you let us love each other?"

Anna pulled him closer and seized his lips with hers. Her legs spread so he could slot between them on the desk. The grip of her fingers slowed them in a moment and John let his hands gently caress her through the shirt she still wore. A shirt she quickly helped her remove.

It was slower than before. His fingers moving inside her only flexed and crooked when her whimpers and cries became pleas for him to let her move. The grip of her hand only slackened when his breath caught in his chest and his voice hit an octave higher than his register. In that moment they joined together.

With the desk bumping at his hips, John only contemplated how he could add to the bruises sure to already coat both of their bodies. And when his hands moved around her hips to her ass to maneuver her where he needed to strike that spot that had her dragged her nails into new furrows down his arms, he wondered where the energy came from. Where could he possibly find the energy or the skill to make this a possibility.

But with her it did not seem to matter.

Especially when they came, barely holding one another, and Anna pushing him away. Instead of walking away, as he feared she might, she maneuvered them both to the ground. John lay back and it was like watching her the night before.

She rose above him, her hands and lips setting him afire, and then mounted him in a moment. There, in the hint of gray morning, she was a goddess. The scene that burned onto his brain was one he wished he could paint for everyone to see. A painting of this uninhibited woman taking her pleasure and offering him any of the remainder for himself. A woman who invited him along for the ride she would take for herself, whether he came along or not.

A ride he chased with her. He did not take control, did not guide their motions, did not move or force, and did not even speak. All he could do was enjoy what she gave him when she came crying his name. And then her offering when she took his finish.

A finish that left them silent and drained.

They lay there, on the floor of the sunroom, with Anna stroking lines over his chest. John held her close and his eyelids fluttered. The sated sensation drove everything else but the gentle rhythm of her fingers from his mind so he drifted off to sleep. Drifted off holding Anna close and thinking of nothing but the possibility of a future with her.


	18. The Devil You Don't Expect

Anna let her head hang back and enjoy the hot water. Even the sound of the door opening barely bothered her. "If you're here for anything I don't have the energy."

"Enjoying the water?"

"It's hot. For the first time, all week, we've got hot water." Anna turned to John, holding her hair back from her face. "I'm going to enjoy it while I can. I don't know if Gwen's got any at hers."

"I'm not going to stop you." He held up his hands, as if in surrender. "I just wanted to enjoy the water with you."

"Enjoy the water or enjoy me?"

"That too." John grinned, kissing Anna under the stream of water so they both had to close their eyes. "I've had a wonderful time using this week to completely explore you."

"If you came back to the Grantham," Anna breathed against his lips, throwing her arm over his shoulders. "We could do this more often."

"We both know why I can't do that." John stepped to the wall and Anna moaned at the thump of the wall jets against her back.

"Something about a butterfly."

"Yes, something about a butterfly." John kissed down her neck, his hands sliding up to catch the water on her body before molding her breasts in his hands. "The butterfly I was hired to paint."

"The one we've yet to see." Anna teased and then groaned when John wrapped his lips around her breast. "Four nights straight wading into the foliage of the jungle to try and track down a wil o' wisp."

"You didn't mind when we kept having sex out there." John murmured before taking her nipple into his mouth and suckling deeply.

"Absolutely not." Anna arched into him, her fingers carding through his wet hair to hold him close to her. "Except for the mud and the tree bark and-"

"Oh," John carefully turned her to kiss over the reddish scratches skating up her back. "If you hadn't been screaming for other reasons I might not have tried so hard to get you off again."

"Shut up and kiss me please." She hauled his lips to hers again and sighed into his mouth at the dual sensation of him and the jets massaging the muscles of her back while also soothing the marks. "I'll just have to give you some."

"I promise you," John kissed to her neck and sucked hard at her pulse. "I'd already got enough scratches down my back."

"Should I kiss them all better?" Anna let her instep glide up John's leg and he stuttered a moment. "Sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

"Next time I'll have to buy a waterproof prosthetic." John returned to her lips while his hands gliding to her hips and then separated her legs so his fingers could sneak between her folds. "It'll let me keep up with you."

"You keep up just fine." Anna's breath hitched when he teased a finger into her. "Just fine."

"Then please hold still. I've got to concentrate on my balance."

Anna's arms went to the sides, digging her fingers into the indentations in the wall set for soaps and shampoos. Had they been on a flat surface, and not attempting water acrobatics, she might have wrapped her arms around him to give her more leverage when she pushed against his fingers. Instead she had to trust the strength of her quivering arms.

But John was kind. He knew all the buttons to press and how to press them so she came with a cry echoing over the sound of the water around the glass shower. And when she almost slid to the floor he caught her, easing her from her high before maneuvering himself closer to her.

"This won't take long." He warned, running himself along her so Anna keened at the familiar comfort of him.

"I'd rather you just moved." Her fingers grabbed his side and her leg worked up to hook around his hip.

His hands grabbed under her thighs and lifted her. Anna's back hit the wall, driving some of the air from her lungs, but she wrapped her legs around him to pull him close when he plunged into her. Neither of them could do anything more than groan when he struck deeply inside her.

With jets pummeling her back and John's hands sliding over her thighs to find a better hold before he settled with one hand at her thigh and the other on her ass. Anna eased toward, her shoulders offering her the leverage she needed to signal her readiness. After that, there was no stopping him.

Even his missing leg proved no pause in his actions. Swift, deep thrusts that pushed to the very end of her kept Anna on edge so her fingers and nails clawed over John's shoulders and sides. When he hitched into her, daring to chuckle against her neck, Anna moved a hand to his ass. Her fingers dug into the flesh there so John stuttered a moment and then again when she licked near his ear.

"Do you want me to talk to you, John?" She tugged the lobe between her teeth before skidding her kisses over his jaw. "Do you want me to tell you how it feels?"

"Sod it all, yes." He groaned into her shoulder, slowing his strokes and angling her slightly so when he settled into her his pelvis could rub over her clit. "Tell me what you want Anna. Tell me how I can make this better for you."

"It's hard to…" Anna clenched her jaw when John let a finger dare stroke under her thigh toward her folds as he sank into her again. "It's hard when you're already so perfect. When I'll already miss the feel of you inside me and over me and under me and beside me."

"Just that?" He bent his head to kiss at her breasts, feasting over them and tempting toward her nipples so they puckered until he took pity on her and had them in his mouth.

"There's also the way the muscles of your back move when you're trying to go slow but you can't stop yourself thrusting into me. Or how your arms flex slightly when you're holding me open to get yourself as deep as you can. Or the little twitches you make when you want to bring me over the edge first but you know I'm driving you made on purpose." Anna held tighter to him, her ankles crossing when John's frantic pace turned any water caught between them to steam. "The moment when you lose all control… It's the moments I love the most."

"Shit." John thrust into her and Anna tipped her head back.

His climax triggered hers, the tight grind of his body to bury himself inside her rubbed her clit just right to send her over the edge. Her hands caught his cheeks and she fused their lips together until they needed air. Then they stuttered and shook through the aftereffects of their mutual climax.

"You," John kissed the tip of her nose and moved to grab a loofah. "Do not know how to play fair."

"Says the man who seduced me while sketching me naked and then showed me all the canvases where he was going to paint me orgasming."

"I never said I'd paint those," John held up a finger before lathering the loofah. "I just said I wanted to paint you."

"Personally I think, if you are going to paint those," Anna took the loofah from him and scrubbed over his skin. "You should consider either selling them to rich perverts or making them a series you could sell online to porn sites."

"Art is not pornography."

"Tell that to any parent who endeavors to cover the eyes of their impressionable children at a museum." Anna dipped to soap over his leg. "My mother refused to let me look at anything not a pastoral piece or where everyone wore three layers of clothing."

"That's a shame because there were some rather lovely models." John sighed, moving into the spray to rinse himself as Anna took the loofah to her skin. "Most of them were probably prostitutes though."

"That's horrible to say."

"Not when you're living a puritanical society that frowned on female sexuality." John took some shampoo to his hair, "Painters struggled to get models because what upstanding lady or reputation is going to take her clothes off for a man she doesn't know and isn't her husband-"

"Especially when there's no guarantee she'll even be fully undressed for her husband."

"More than likely neither side undressed totally back then." John traded places with Anna so she could rinse. "But since they couldn't find other women they just paid prostitutes to take off their clothes."

"I guess, if I were a prostitute then, I'd think it a bit of a break that the man just wanted to paint my body instead of use it." Anna paused, "Although I'm not sure painting an accurate description of any of the number of sexually transmitted diseases they carried was really appealing to their audiences."

"We'll call it artistic license."

"So," Anna finished with her hair, "When you paint me for your audiences, what blemishes of mine could you remove?"

"None." Anna blinked at him as John edged closer, "Because there's nothing but perfection to you. You're without flaw."

"You're lying."

"I don't lie about art." John let his fingers grace over her skin, "And you're the most flawless piece of art I've ever endeavored to paint."

"Careful Mr. Bates," Anna breathed as she turned her back on him, biting back her smile. "You'll make me come over all insensible."

"That's my goal."

Her hands went to the wall in front of her as John's kisses lined her back. They zigzagged and dipped until there was nothing left untouched over the acreage not covered by his lips. And despite the water positively pounding her lower back and his shoulders, John still dipped between her legs.

She cried out, her head going back and almost catching a direct downspout into her nose when he licked over her. Spreading her legs wider, and trying not to cough or choke on the water now streaming down her face, Anna hauled in air. It was all she could do to try and focus when the flat of John's tongue teased from her clit to her perineum and back. Nothing left unlicked, or unlaved, or unloved when she came around his fingers in a strangling hold while his tongue and mouth sucked mercilessly at her clit.

In whatever moment it took John to rise behind her, Anna lived an eternity in the afterglow of pleasure. Not even the hint of chilling water could distract her now. But John's quick thrust into her changed that.

His arm wrapped over her waist, keeping her close, and Anna reached back to let her fingers weave into his hair. Her other arm slid along his to grip at his elbow each time he pressed into her or drew to the edge. Given their confines, the angle formed a shallow one but John's position still ran along her most sensitive spots to leave her sobbing into the water.

It chilled, sending raised gooseflesh over her body but John took her tightening nipples into account. Nothing could escape his notice when her pleasure was all that mattered and he carefully kneaded her skin until Anna went to bring herself over the rising clime. But John beat her there as well.

His fingers stroked and flicked, drawing long caresses over her so she whimpered and moaned at the cling of her vaginal walls around him. Her hands covered his and John followed her guidance to bring her closer and closer to that daring sunrise. And when she fell over the edge again, her whole body releasing the tension of indescribable pleasure, John joined her.

They sagged in the cold water until John reached over to turn it off. Anna's hint of a shiver had him grabbing towels for them both and almost drying her off. But this time Anna beat John to it and set to toweling him dry. When she had him dry, and still naked, in front of her, Anna reached to hold him but a sound from the door distracted her.

The crunch of gravel under tires had them both sighing and taking their towels to greet whomever had decided to interrupt their private holiday. Anna peeked out the window and shook her head as John leaned around her to see who it could be. "My carriage awaits."

"You don't have to go." John's finger ran up her arm. "You would stay here and keep me company."

"Can I?" Anna's eyes flashed at him before pouting. "I've got work of my own."

"Stay." John urged, taking her hands. "It could be like one of those holidays people with too much money used to take before the start of the last century."

"Oh?" Anna sat on the seat as John picked out his clothes and worked to get his prosthetic in place. "And what would this holiday include?"

"I'd be painting."

"As one does when they've got to much time, a little talent, and-"

"Hey," John put a hand to his chest, his other hand working the elastic of his boxers in place. "I've got a lot of talent."

"You certainly do." Anna ran her eyes over him and John raised a warning finger to try and stop her leer.

"We've got people downstairs."

"So?"

"So they've come to pick you up."

"I thought I was staying for an artist's holiday."

John paused, "Do you want to?"

Anna rose from her seat and crossed the distance to kiss him. "More than anything but I've got to go back to the job I still have… If Gwen'll keep me on."

"So no to spending the next few weeks being lavishly treated, sketched, painted, drawn, and altogether ravished?"

"Not sure I'd have the energy to do all that." Anna laid her forehead against his chest. "But I'll be waiting for you, when you get back to town."

"Then I'll do everything I can to find the butterfly and paint it so I can get back to you." John kissed the top of her head. "You'd better go and get dressed so they don't leave you again."

"Mary wouldn't forgive them twice." Anna grinned and lifted her head to kiss John again. "I'll miss your kisses the most."

"More than the muscles moving in back when I-"

"Alright, fine, go fishing for compliments." Anna swatted at John's chest. "Now I won't miss you at all and I don't think there's anything about you that I could miss. I was completely wrong."

John wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly as he kissed over her neck and then her lips. "I'm sorry."

"Nope, I can't forgive you." Anna refused to look at him, almost pinching herself to stop a smile breaking over her face. "It's too much and I couldn't possibly get over how much I won't miss you."

"Well, I'm ever so sorry you're going."

Anna stopped, letting their eyes meet. Her fingers ran down his cheek. "Promise me you'll drop me a line, every day?"

"I can."

"Because," Anna shook herself, "I'll worry otherwise."

"We can't have that now, can we?" John winked at her and managed a final kiss before urging her away. "It's just cruel if we make them wait."

"They left me here."

"Best mistake they ever made, in my opinion." John pulled a shirt over his head. "But I'll let you decide for yourself."

Anna shook her head but could not suppress the glow to her beaming face.

When the lorry finally pulled away, the others in the cab refusing to even look at her, Anna could not force her eyes away from the lodge. It took the cover of the jungle to finally block her view and she settled into her seat to keep her gaze forward. But everything in her wondered if her mistake was leaving John.

Somewhere along the bumping of the lorry over the wet and sucking road, Anna dozed off. So thoroughly in fact that it took a particularly large pothole to bring her out of it. She almost snorted and breathed in so fast her nostrils almost closed on her. But the recovery was swift enough that Anna could rub her eyes clear of sleep grit and take in the town.

Freshly washed, with some bits washed away, Anna sighed at the sight. The constant ebb and flow of the ocean reflected in the architecture subjected to the whims of Mother Nature in frequent beatings of wind and rain. But life moved on and the smile returned to her face as the industry of the people remained the constant despite it all.

This was her town and how it was.

The lorry dropped her at her house, with her assurances she would tell Mary she was safe and sound without them needing proof of life. Her phone came out and she texted Mary in front of them before they would even consider driving off. It took Mary's response of "good" to send them on their way.

Anna laughed, pulling her hand through her hair and pivoting to take the stairs up to the front door of Gwen's house. Of her house too, technically, but a thought niggled at the back of her mind that perhaps she and John should consider a place of their own. Somewhere a little more inland with a porch and perhaps a covered deck for his painting and-

All thoughts flew from her mind the moment a hand clamped over her mouth. She was barely inside the door, her keys still dangling from the lock, when the body behind her snatched them free and slammed the door. The whole house was dark but for the light working through the almost-covered windows. Light so insufficient that Anna could get none of her bearings.

The arm around her waist, digging her keys into her skin where her shirt rucked up against the person's chest as they dragged through the house. She squirmed against the hold and tried to bite the hand over her mouth but her keys stabbed into her and she cried out. Arms tightened and finally managed to get her into the kitchen. The kitchen with a back door that hung oddly on the hinges as if someone had shoved their shoulder into the wood to open it.

Someone who locked the door behind her and spun Anna into the counter. She caught herself on the edge of the counter and turned, fingers scrabbling for a weapon as her opponent stood in front of the most easily accessible exit. An opponent that had her jaw dropping.

"Alex?"

"Surprise bitch."

"But…" Anna tried to find the words but her brain short-circuited. "Craig had you. Right outside of the hospital, he had you."

"And now he doesn't." Green held up his arm and Anna gasped at the wicked scars drawn down the length of it. "But he tried to keep a hold on me. And it took so many bullets to put him down I was sure he was part buffalo."

"Craig's dead?"

"Unless he can regenerate, I'd say he's sucking the dirt right now." Green barked a laugh. "Guess your Russian friend can't help you now."

"He wasn't my friend."

"Because you didn't turn me over to him?" Green scoffed, "You were never a good liar Anna. Even when you thought you could fake an orgasm."

"I had nothing to do with Craig and whatever else happened with him."

"You told him how to draw me out."

"He locked me in a shipping crate and I told him I was pregnant." Anna shouted back, "He said what he wanted with that information and don't blame me for being so sodding stupid you believed it was yours."

"Like I couldn't knock you up?"

"You never let us do it without a condom." Anna sneered at him. "And I've got my own questions about the strength of your swimmers but that's none of my business now since I don't care."

"Bet I can guess what you do care about."

"You never knew anything about me. Even after two years of dating you couldn't even tell me my favorite color or where I-"

"The painter, John Bates."

Anna stopped, her heart tripping itself to beat faster in her chest. "What about John?"

"What would you do for him?"

"Why would you-"

"Because I underestimated Barrow." Green hissed, "He wasn't just Craig's crony. They were in love or some shit. All that matters is that he's after me for personal reasons and I won't let him get me."

"Then why come back here? That's the single stupidest-"

"Because you're here and you're going to help me." Green came toward her and Anna grabbed for a wooden spoon. "You're going to get me the money to get off this island and somewhere safe."

"Go to Hell."

"If they find me with you then it won't matter what kind of agreement you had with Craig before." Green sneered in her face and Anna's fingers loosened slightly on the spoon. But it was enough for him to wrench it from her and bring it to smack across her face.

Anna hit the counter, only just catching herself from falling. "Are you mad?"

"I'm desperate Anna and who knows what that does to a man." Green closed in on her, form looming over her. "Help me and I don't get John Bates involved in all this. Help me and he stays safe."

"What about me?" Anna's shaking hand touched her face, wincing at the lance of pain through her cheek. "What do you want from me?"

Green took her hands and forced Anna right next to him. "I want us to be a couple again."

"What?"

"It's what'll sell the image I need in Miami." Green's fingers caressed over her face, leaving Anna shuddering in his grip. "We'll go there and make a life together."

"They know you there."

"Not with you." Green crooned at her, "You're the key to the new life we'll build together."

"On stolen mob money as we count the hours until they kill us both?" Anna tried to wrench herself away and slapped his face. As Green released her in surprise Anna pulled away. "I don't think so."

Green touched his cheek and then cracked the spoon over his knee. "It'll be the hard way then."

* * *

John set the letter down and swallowed. He turned to Gwen and Mary as they crowded around the table in Mary's office. "This is her handwriting?"

"I matched it to a load of reports she wrote for the station." Gwen pointed at the paper. "It's her handwriting."

"And she just left? She didn't tell anyone anything?"

"I know the lorry dropped her at Gwen's and then this was all Gwen found when she got home." Mary shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "She does have family in England so it's not too difficult to think she'd go for a visit and-"

"She didn't stay with me at the lodge because she said that she needed to get back to her job." John jabbed a finger at the note. "If she wanted to go back to England then why not tell me that?"

"Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing."

Gwen snorted at Mary, "Not everyone is rolling in cash, Ms. Millions. Anna wouldn't have the kind of money to just buy a plane ticket across the Atlantic. And she did need to come into work because the hours she's got right now wouldn't cover this kind of thing."

"And she never responded to any of my texts or emails." John sighed, "She didn't even try to leave a forwarding address or her number in England?"

"What you see is what we have." Mary took a breath, "And I know it won't be a popular thing to suggest but maybe she got grabbed again."

"The statistical improbability of that is-" Gwen tried to argue but John started at the buzzing of his phone. "Is it Anna?"

John slid his finger over the indicator, "Hello?"

"John?"

"Anna!" He sighed with relief, "I was so worried. We'd not heard from you and hoped you were alright. Mary thought you'd been-"

"Tell Mary I'm fine. And apologize to Gwen but I'll be sending my resignation over email in a day."

John blinked, sneaking a look at the two women waiting for him to tell them the news. "What's going on Anna?"

"I'm… I'm staying in England. I've got a good job offer here and I can't let it go."

"Then tell me where it is and I can come and see you." John grinned, "I've got something for you."

"That's… That's not going to work John." Her voice caught a second on her end of the line. "I think we'd better just leave it."

"I said I'd be up for anywhere." John swallowed, "This isn't like the hospital is it? Did something happen and I-"

"No, it's that… this new position's going to be hard and I can't be distracted while I'm trying to make a good impression. And you've got your commissions so maybe we should just take a break for a bit. It'll be alright."

"Could I send you something then? You could give me an address and-"

"It'll get in the way. My flat's too small."

"You don't even know what it is."

"Yes I do." Anna's breath was shallow and she whispered, "I can't look at a piece of your work John and not think of you. I couldn't bear it so I can't take it."

"Then let me come and you wouldn't have to bear it."

"It's… It's just not a good idea John." Her voice stiffened again, "I just thought I should tell you over the phone. And wish you luck with your butterfly."

"Anna-"

"Goodbye John."

The call ended and John hurried to check the number in his address book but it read as 'blocked'. He hurled the phone at the far wall and cracked the screen in a jagged line down the center of it. The bisected glass taunted him but John only shook his head and turned to the women with eyebrows up at their hairlines.

"She'll be sending you her resignation, Gwen, since she's apparently found a better job there already."

"It's been two weeks. What could she possibly have found?" Gwen huffed, "I didn't even get a call as a reference and I know she listed me."

"Whatever it is, she doesn't want me there to 'distract' her." John went and retrieved his phone before nodding at Mary. "I'll just leave the painting with you."

"What am I going to do with it?"

"Send it to her, if you ever get an address." John pointed to the canvas in the corner. "I've got to get my things. My client's getting a touch impatient for his work."

"John," Gwen tried to put a hand on his arm but he shrugged it off. "This isn't like her."

"Really?" John snorted, "She lives hot and cold. This isn't the first time she's cold shouldered me after something she won't tell me about and promising she wants nothing more than to be with me. I-"

John clenched his fist around his phone, glass shards tinkling from him before he relaxed. "If she wants anything from me, she's only got to ask. But I won't beg it from her."

"She'd never make you do that."

"Then I guess we'll see." John took a breath, "I've got to go."

As he left the office his eyes lighted on the canvas. The one he started sketching that night of their date at the lodge. The one of Anna laughing in the rain as she pushed her hair back with the biggest smile on her face. The image burned into his memory when they stood together in the typhoon so she could tell him the truth in the rain.

The truth that was just another lie.


	19. What Are Friends For

Anna gazed off into the corner but her eyes did not focus on anything. Her hand idly stroked over her abdomen. It cramped and she winced but then puffed out a rush of air when a force impacted on her. She tried not to contort herself too dramatically as the hazel eyes gazed into her own.

"Are you trying to hurt Mummy?" She asked, dipping down to snatch the giggling child from the floor while his little hands curled into fists. "And how did you get away from nanny?"

"Because he's a fast little bugger." Anna sighed and held the boy tighter to her as Green approached. His fingers curled and he bumped them against the boy's chin. "He's like his father."

"I sure hope that's the only trait he shares with you." Anna kept her voice level. "I'd hate to see what else he might've picked up from you."

Green stopped, scoffing. "Are you about to be ungrateful again? Did you forget what happened last time?"

"It'd be hard not to. I couldn't sit down without wincing for two days." Anna bit out. "But I'll try not to disparage your girlfriend to her face again."

"Don't be jealous because there's too much of me to go around."

"Too much of your money to go around." Anna paused as the nanny ran in. She cringed and hurried an apology in Spanish. Anna shook her head and handed the boy in her arms back over before responding in Spanish as well. "It's fine. Just get Jack down for his nap please."

"Si Señora." The woman hurried away and Anna faced Green again.

He pointed after the nanny, "What did you say to her?"

"I asked her to put Jack down for a nap." Anna shook her head, "It's amazing. When we're alone you see shadows everywhere but when you're partying on the yacht you shouldn't have bought or with your clients it's like you don't even remember you're living on stolen money and borrowed time."

"Barrow's not got a sniff of us in years."

"He strikes me as an exceedingly patient man." Anna folded her arms over her chest. "If you don't curb yourself then you're going to get us all into trouble."

"What, worried about me?"

"Don't be naïve." Anna turned on her heel. "I'm worried about Jack. I don't think there's a preservation policy for infants and children under three."

Green snatched her arm, clawing in her to spin Anna around to face him again. "Take that tone with me and-"

Anna brought the blade of her hand down on his shoulder and then her knee up to his gut when he bent over. Green twisted and his hand loosened its grip on her arm so she could circle his wrist and yank him to the floor. He cried out, on his knees as he hit the marble floor hard, and looked up at Anna.

"You're not the only one who decided to implement a few personal changes in their life." Anna tossed Green's hand away. "I decided to use some of your money to pay for a personal trainer and she's taught me a few things."

"What trainer?"

"The blonde one whose ass you kept ogling every time she'd come over."

Green frowned as he stood, "She taught you that?"

"Yes, she did, and she's good at her job." Anna straightened, "Now we'll get a few things clear. You're going to stop being an idiot about the flashy way you're spending money, you're cutting down on your clients, and you're stopping trying to put your name on everything."

"It's not even a real name."

"But when you just called us 'Mr. and Mrs. Verdant' you didn't really strain the imagination to get there, did you?" Anna shook her head, "Barrow is smart. He'll figure it out and then he'll find us. And when he does, I doubt he'll let you off with a magazine buried in your chest."

Green snorted, "Think you know so much about Barrow, do you?"

"You're not the only one who can do research." Anna pointed down the hallway. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my son and if you get in the way of that I'll let you know, my trainer happens to be a firearms expert as well."

"What, turned you into G.I. Jane has she?"

"If not then it's not for lack of trying." Anna took a deep breath, "Stay low and keep off anyone's radar."

"Because you know best?"

"Because I've got a healthy self-preservation instinct."

Green guffawed. "If you did you wouldn't be here." Anna held her mouth shut with all the force she could manage in her jaw. "If you had any instinct at all you wouldn't have come with me."

He stepped closer to her and put his lips gently on her cheek. "But you're mine now. Just remember how actually gives the orders around here."

She swallowed and he moved away, taking the stairs to the second level of the house. Only when he was out of sight did Anna shudder. So badly it took her more than a few minutes to calm her nerves enough to go and speak to the nanny.

* * *

John leaned his head against the finger he had pressed to his temple and tried not to roll his eyes as the man continued speaking. His left hand made vague notes between the sketches of his pen. Unconscious sketches that tugged at the string of his heart whenever he looked at them too closely.

But he kept each one. Each sketch and vague caricature he recognized as her when no defining features gave shape. It did not need eyes or hair or even fingers for him to realize the lines of her back or the crook of her elbow or the bow of her lips came out in his paintings.

So he stopped painting people.

His agent, an expert Robert recommended to get the man to stop chasing Mary, attempted to convince John otherwise. He only did so once. After that they decided that the focuses of John's works should be other things and they never spoke on the subject again.

The same agent nudged John with his elbow and John straightened in his chair as the man finished speaking. A low whisper broke over the applause in the room and John leaned toward his agent. "I'd rather you not give them the impression you don't care to be here."

"I don't."

"It's exposure, John, and as you know-"

"Please give me this lecture after whatever eyeball-drying expose we're about to see, Charles." John put his shoulders back to the chair. "I don't have the time to not care about two things at once."

"You might find a protégé out there." Charles shrugged, making a note. "There are some good students here."

"I'm not looking to train anyone." John argued, "Painting comes from the soul."

"Then why do your recent works feel like paint-by-numbers?" Charles twisted to look John straight on. "Because while your adoring fans will gush and shit themselves silly to own an original John Bates pastoral, I can tell you're phoning it in with each brushstroke."

"You don't know that."

"I do because I'm an expert." Charles pointed down into the gallery. "Just look at that one. He's passionate about what he's painting."

"It's a tree."

"And you sold me a very nice butterfly once." Charles shrugged, "But I felt the emotion in the wings so delicate I was afraid to touch them."

John sighed, "A different man painted those."

"I'd like to meet him." Charles made another note. "I hear he went to an island and got lost a few years ago."

"He didn't get lost." John shifted in his seat and applauded hollowly with everyone else. "He died."

* * *

Anna looked up from the scans in front of her as the nanny knocked on the door. "Yes?"

"Señora, alguien está en la puerta."

"Quien?"

"Dos mujeres."

"Descríbalos por favor?" Anna waited as the woman nodded.

"Una con el pel rojo y el otro con los pómulos altos." She grinned, "Y un hombre muy atractivo."

"Gracias Señora Diaz." Anna pushed herself from her desk and rounded it to where the nanny stood. "Posiblemente amigos?"

She only shrugged and Anna slipped past her to the entryway. When she got there her jaw dropped. Gwen, Mary, and Talbot stood with a large square object in the entryway of her house. When their eyes all settled on one another it was as if Anna could hear the humidity itself.

"Well, I guess she did find herself a very cushy job." Mary snorted, "Bought this place didn't she?"

"You must've been the one with high cheekbones that Mrs. Diaz was telling me about." Anna folded her arms over her chest. "I thought I was very clear the last time we spoke."

"Right," Gwen snorted, "Because we were going to believe you were living happily ever after somewhere with some man who swept you off your feet."

"Give us some credit Anna." Mary pointed to the entryway. "I think it was the money."

"Like I'd marry someone for their money."

"Marble floors, tile, and," Talbot made a show of straining to see past the sitting room. "Looks like a pool out there."

"It is." Anna waved her hand toward the sitting room. "Care for a seat?"

"Don't mind if we do." Gwen picked up the square package and carried it into the sitting room as they all chose their seats. "Picked up Spanish since you've been in Miami?"

"It wasn't so different from French or island Creole so I managed it." Anna sat in a chair across from the other three. "Why did you all bother making the trip?"

"Henry had some news down a wire he thought you might want to know." Mary put her hands on her knees and turned to Talbot. "Would you do the honors dear?"

"Of course darling." He winked at her and then turned to Anna, his face getting serious in a second. "Thomas Barrow knows where you are."

"Wouldn't surprise me. Alex hasn't exactly been the smartest about keeping us hidden from him." Anna crossed one leg over the other. "How long do I have to get my affairs in order?"

Mary and Gwen blinked at her but Gwen spoke first. "Excuse me?"

"I said, how long-"

"Not that part, you nit, the part where you're so bloody clam about all this." Mary cut in but Gwen hurried to add her two cents.

"And the part where you're with Alex Green." She nodded as Anna only sighed and tried to keep her face blank. "That's right, we figured out what 'verdant' meant. What an idiot."

"I told him as much but he doesn't really listen to me."

"Then why are you here?" Mary pointed around them, "Because trying to say that you'd never marry someone for their money isn't exactly being sold to us given who you married and the house where you live."

"It wasn't about the money. I didn't want any of it to begin with." Anna leaned her head back, closing her eyes a moment before facing the trio. "It was the only choice I could make and I made it. I'm not happy about it and I sure as hell don't like it but it's the life I've got to live with now."

"What does that even mean?"

Before Anna could respond, Señora Diaz entered the room, carrying Jack on her hip as the little boy rubbed his eyes. "Discuple, señora. Se despertó y estaba llorando por ti."

"No es un problema." Anna stood, taking Jack from her hands. "Yo lo tengo."

As Anna sat back down, Mary pointed at Jack in her arms. "Please tell me he's the maid's son."

"She's his nanny and no, Jack's mine."

"Jack?" Gwen clicked her tongue against her teeth, "Couldn't have been more sure of the father than that."

"It's short for Jackson."

"I'm sure that's what you told Alex." Gwen shook her head, "He looks just-"

"It might not be." Anna swallowed, "It was a miracle I had Jack at all given what happened last time."

"So you've never done a paternity test?" Mary frowned and Anna shook her head. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"What'll it tell me except more bad news?" Anna kissed Jack's temple as the boy laid his head on her shoulder. "Either his father is a man I hate or his father is a man I can never have back."

"You did rather cock it up with the lie about moving to England."

"That was to keep him safe." Anna rubbed her hand over Jack's back. "And it'd be better if you weren't here either."

"What, to keep us safe?" Talbot lounged back on the sofa. "I wouldn't worry about us."

"Why not?" Anna frowned as they all kept their eyes fixed on her. "Why shouldn't I worry about any of you when I'm not supposed to have contact with you at all."

"Because we're not the only ones that found you." Talbot wagged a finger at her, "Barrow told us where you were, not the other way around."

"You spoke to Thomas Barrow?"

"He's a powerful man in my world," Talbot shrugged, "And we occasionally play cards together. He casually mentioned I should look up a Mrs. Verdant the next time I was in Miami and here we all are."

"Could we go back to the part where we're not sure who the father of Anna's baby is?" Gwen pointed at Jack, "Because he's the spitting image of John."

"Little paternity test would clear that right up." Mary extracted something from her purse and Anna's eyes widened. "And look here, what money buys from desperate people."

"What is that?"

"The test a very eager lab tech at the nearest lab so graciously did for me." Mary snorted, "You've actually got to hand it to Barrow, since he was the one who put us onto the idea that lab techs are easily bribed."

"You bribed a lab tech to get my DNA?"

"And the DNA of your son and current husband." Mary held up the paper. "According to this, little 'Jackson' there doesn't share any commonalities with Alex Green."

"And thank all the gods in heaven for that." Gwen breathed and then paused, "Although, I am curious why that wasn't a given to begin with."

Anna swallowed, "It's not important."

"But it is. Because…" Gwen's face fell. "He didn't."

"When he took me." Anna shook her head. "It was so close to the week at the lodge that…"

"Right." Mary cringed and then turned to Talbot. "Do we tell her the other news now or later?"

"What news?" Anna looked at them as Jack breathed against her shoulder, asleep there. "Tell me, please."

"When was the last time you heard from your husband?"

Before Anna could answer Talbot's question, someone knocked at the door.

She rose, holding Jack to her, but Gwen stepped forward and worked the boy from her shoulder. "I've got this."

"Do you?"

"I have one of my own, thank you, and I had five younger siblings." Gwen walked carefully around the room, adding little bouncing motions to keep Jack rocked in sleep. "I do know what I'm doing."

Anna hurried up the few steps to the entryway, leaving her guests in the sitting room, and opened the door to see two uniformed police officers. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Are you Alys Verdant?"

"Yes." Anna swallowed, "Why do you need to know?"

They looked at one another before one spoke, "Your husband, Alex Verdant, was found this morning on his yacht."

Anna kept her mouth closed, despite the dryness that itched there. "Oh?"

"Harbor Patrol found it floating in a restricted zone and when they received no responses to their hails they boarded it. They found…" The younger officer looked to the other one, who continued.

"They found your husband's body. From all indicators, and the ME's initial findings, he was very drunk and knocked his head against something when he tripped. His death as near instantaneous."

"Was it now?" Anna narrowed her eyes and the nodded, "Thank you, gentlemen. I'll… I'm sure you can contact me with the necessary arrangements I need to make."

"There'll be an investigation." The older officer clarified. "It's standard in cases of accidental death. To rule out any other possible options."

"I understand." Anna put her hand on the door. "Have a good day."

She closed the door and waited until she heard their shoes walk off her porch before going back to the sitting room and standing in front of Talbot. "What do you know about this?"

"Only that failing the mob carries its own price." He shrugged, "He got what he deserved."

"Did he?"

"Yes." Talbot stood, towering over her. "And the autopsy report'll reflect that. It'll say it was an accidental death."

"And I'm sure that there'll be no mention of whatever torture they put him through when they killed him?"

"Naturally." Talbot dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper he handed to Anna. "This is from Mr. Barrow. He told me to tell you that he'll leave the money in your possession. He's got no interest in whatever Green stole and wants you to keep it for you and Jack."

"Because Mr. Barrow cares?"

"He just wanted his revenge on Green." Talbot snorted, "He doesn't give two shits about you or your son, if we're being honest."

"I feel so much better." Anna quickly read the letter and sighed at the phrase, _Keeping my end of the deal_. "This is it? He'll not want anything else?"

"Nope."

Anna sighed, letting her hand fall to her side and her eyes resting on the package again. "What is that anyway?"

"A nuisance to get through customs." Mary stood, sliding around Talbot to grab the large object and take it into the dining room. "I'll open it for you."

Anna followed, Gwen on her heels as she continued to bounce Jack on her shoulder. Mary stripped the brown wrapping away from the canvas and Anna's hand flew over her mouth at the sight of the portrait. The one of her, from that first night in the rain, under the overhang.

Her fingers itched to touch it but she drew back. "It's so…"

"Beautiful?" Gwen nodded, kissing Jack's cheek as he managed a half smile in his sleep. "It's gorgeous. Part of me wishes I could keep it."

"It looks so real." Anna breathed as she stared, consumed, by the photorealistic painting. "It's like he took a photo and then painted over it."

"You're the only one who knows if he could've in that moment." Mary turned to Anna. "He left it for you, when you left last time."

Anna shook her head, "He wouldn't want to see me. Not after what I've done."

"You never know." Mary pivoted to lean her hips on the table and keep her eyes on Anna. "Charles says he never stops drawing you."

"Who's Charles?"

"A man who made an attempt at Mary and is now John's agent." Gwen laughed, "Mr. Crawley's got his ways of getting rid of those people he considers nuisances."

"He gave John an agent?"

"Helped him get to a peek in his career but…" Mary shrugged and pointed to the painting on the table. "Nothing like this."

"What about his butterfly?"

"I guess you'll have to ask him." Mary pushed off from the table. "You've got to have enough rooms in this palace to give us all a place for the night, right? We didn't book a hotel."

Anna gave a little laugh through her nose, "This way."


	20. The Wind and the Rain

John paced the gallery space and shook his head. "This is ridiculous."

"Which part?" Charles gestured to the paintings. "The fact these are like factory churn outs or that you're having one of these at all?"

"Either… or both." John put a hand to his hair. "Why do I even need this?"

"Because you're an artist and they, occasionally, exhibit their work." Charles put both of his hands on his face and dragged them down a moment before sighing. "It's like pulling teeth with you."

"Probably because I'm getting out of this business." John shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. "I don't love it anymore."

"We don't always love what we do."

"This was the job I took when I didn't love my last job anymore." John gave a disparaging snort. "That tore apart a relationship too."

"I'm not breaking up with you because you doubt yourself." Charles sighed, "Maybe you just need a holiday. Somewhere warm and-"

"No beaches."

"Okay, then I'll send you to the Alps and hope you fly yourself off a cliff." Charles snarked at him, heading for the gallery doors.

"If I die then you don't get a commission." John called after him but Charles pivoted on his heel to address John.

"Mr. Bates, the harsh reality is that I'll collect my commission even after you're dead. That's the nature of the business. And if you die in a horrible accident then the price for your work skyrockets."

"Your bedside manner blows."

"I'm not a nurse." Charles winked at him, "Go upstairs. The artist needs to make an entrance. It's gauche to have you waiting down here."

"Can't appear too eager?"

"You don't want to look like you're basking in your success." Charles waved him up the stairs. "Don't worry, I left you a book."

John rolled his eyes and took the stairs to hide himself behind the two-way glass on the second level as Charles opened the doors for the first guests. Turning away from them with a shrug, John noticed the book on the sofa. As he picked it up, the glossy cover catching on his fingers, John could not keep a little twitch of a smile down.

The biography, from so long ago at the lodge, sat there. John thumbed through the pages, remembering reading parts of it aloud to Anna or silently to himself as she slept next to him. He closed the book with a snap and put it back on the sofa to pick up the letter than fell out of it.

 _John,_

 _It's been an absolutely nightmare working with you. But I wouldn't change it for a moment._

 _Robert mentioned you had a connection with this artist and it inspired the series you did on that butterfly. The picture that brought us together._

 _I bless and curse that picture. But, maybe one day it'll inspire someone'll write your biography and include it on the cover. I just hope it's not me._

 _Please don't ask me to be the one to write your biography._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Charles Blake_

John snorted to himself and tucked the letter into the cover of the book. He shoved his hands into his pockets and paced the gallery space before finally succumbing to the temptation of the window. Looking out over the crowd he felt like a voyeur, or some all-powerful god gazing down on his kingdom.

A traditional bunch mingled there. The older couples with more money than children looking for something lovely to hang in the home they purchased for their retirement. The young artists hoping to find inspiration from the master before them. A few of the wealthier individuals looking for a name to add to their walls so they could boast to one another at fancy dinner parties in stark flats or houses devoid of emotion.

He went to look away when he caught sight of five heads that struck him as familiar. A dash of red hair so vibrant it was almost kissed by fire in the lighting. The woman held a child in her arms before passing it over to the dark-haired man next to her sporting a tasteful mustache. On their side was a tall couple leading a blonde-boy that did not match the dark hair of either of them. And trailing them, her hair golden in the light, was a woman holding her own dark-haired child. It was almost as if she switched children with the couple in front of her but everything about the way she held the child said it was hers.

John almost put his hands on the glass as they stopped to talk to Charles. He kissed the women's cheeks and shook hands with the men. In a moment of chatting his hand pointing up toward where John stood and, for a second, John wanted to duck out of sight. He could have kicked himself for not remembering he was practically invisible where he stood. But that did not matter when all five heads raised to look toward him.

Mary and Talbot, with the boy he assumed was George. Gwen and her husband with their child. There was no doubt with the red hair already coming off the little girl's head. And, lastly, the face John never expected to see again.

Anna Smith.

Anna Smith holding a child.

* * *

Anna adjusted Jack on her hip before speaking to Charles. "He's just up there watching it all?"

"He's up there because otherwise he'll wear a track in the floor and make everyone nervous." Charles nodded at the children. "Bit late for them isn't it?"

"They're all three hours behind." Anna groaned, switching hips. "They've not acclimatized to the time change yet and it's slowly killing me."

"But I think," Gwen's husband snuck his arm between Anna and Jack, "My little protégé should join my daughter in an attempt to get them asleep."

"You do know she didn't name him after you." Gwen faced her husband, helping him get their little girl on his other hip. "He's named after his father."

"And who might that be?" All heads turned to see John standing there.

Gwen went to open her mouth but Mary pushed forward. "You."

"What?"

"You asked. And very rudely, I might say. Not even a 'hello' or 'how are you all? Thank you so much for coming all this way for my gallery opening' or anything." Mary sighed and picked George off the floor as the boy teared up a bit, "But Jack's right. We need to get our little ones to bed."

"You only just got here." Charles complained but Gwen pointed at Mary.

"She's not wrong. They're going to be up and crying if we don't get them all down now."

"I can-" Anna put her hand forward but Jack side-stepped her and Gwen blocked her path. "He's my child."

"And, tonight, he's our responsibility." Gwen nodded toward John, "There are other things you need to get finished here."

Anna looked to Mary but she shook her head. "Don't look at me. This is the whole point of the trip."

"What's the point?" John cut into the conversation again and, before Anna could even comprehend it, her friends were out the door and she was alone with John and Charles. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Whatever it is," Charles cut between them, "It's best handled in private, after John's made a few rounds of the room."

"Charles this isn't-"

"No, it is." Charles nodded at Anna, "Enjoy the hor d'oeuvers."

Anna sighed and stayed in place, watching John vanish into the crowd with Charles guiding him through the crush.

* * *

John smiled at the compliment and offered a grimace in Charles's direction. The other man nodded and jerked a subtle thumb toward the stairs. With an excuse that Charles immediately covered with a conversation, John cut from the guests and hurried up the stairs to the little sanctuary at the top.

He sighed, practically collapsing onto the sofa, and let his eyes close as his head rested on the cushions. A creak of a board roused him and he hurried to sit straight and turned so quickly he almost wrenched his back. Anna's hands raised and she pointed back toward the stairs.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Blake said I could come up but-"

"No," John stood, pulling at his waistcoat and wishing he worn a coat before pointing at the sofa. "Want a seat?"

"You were there. I'll-"

"I insist." John waited as Anna nodded and crossed to sit on the cushions. He took the chair close enough to almost touch her but far enough away to give them some distance.

They sat in silence a moment, Anna worrying her hands as John clacked his teeth together quietly in his mouth. After a moment they both opened their mouths to speak, spilling their words, and then paused in an awkward shuffle. Each tried to have the other speak first before Anna finally swallowed.

"It's your gallery opening. I think you should start."

"You came all this way."

"I…" Anna nodded, "I did."

"All the way from…" John paused, frowning. "Where was it in England you were again?"

Part of him wondered if Anna heard the touch of venom in his voice. If she did then she did not react. "You already know I wasn't in England."

"Right, that's just the lie you told me to explain why you ran off and married Alex Green." John curled his fingers into his palm, digging the nails into his skin. "Was everything you told me a lie or just the parts that got me to open up to you?"

"You make me sound like a master manipulator."

"You're sure playing a long con if it's anything else." John leaned back in his chair. "What's it been… three years?"

"Four." Anna could not meet his eyes. "It's been four years."

"Counted the months too?"

"The hours, actually." Anna lifted her chin to meet his eyes, "There's an explanation for this."

"I'd love to hear you explain your way out of this one. And it's probably better than what you told me at the lodge."

Anna flinched, "That wasn't fair."

"Why not?" John pressed, digging further. "Because you laid your heart bare to me and I did to you. At least that's what I thought but I guess I was the idiot who feel for it all."

"There wasn't anything to fall for." Anna fired back, "Because, if you haven't noticed, I never conned you since I never took anything from you."

"Right," John snapped his fingers, "Because you took it all from Alex Green."

"I didn't take anything from him either."

"I heard you inherited his fortune."

"That's what happens when you're the widow of a man who passed away." Anna shifted on the sofa. "Not that I ever wanted to be either of those things."

"A widow?"

"His wife." Anna calmed, "Or wealthy. I didn't want any of that."

"So you told me on our little sex holiday."

"Don't be crass, it doesn't suit you."

John barked out his laugh, "It 'doesn't suit me'? You've got a lot of nerve trying to suggest you've got the slightest clue what suits me after you just left me."

"I didn't have a choice."

"We've all got a choice." John glared at her. "You simply chose wrong."

Anna held her head high, "Maybe I did. But that's all relative and I don't regret making the choice I did."

"Marrying Green?"

"If you think I didn't regret every moment of that, then you didn't know me well at all." Anna stood, "I'm getting the distinct impression, at the moment, it'd be a very big mistake for me to try and talk to you right now."

"This isn't exactly something time heals."

"Maybe not." Anna pulled a card from her purse. "But, if you're interested, we're staying there for at least another two days before we fly back."

"You and your son?"

"Yes." Anna circled the sofa, heading for the stairs. "Good evening John."

John fingered the card and called out to her, without looking in her direction. "Was Mary telling the truth?"

"What?"

John turned his head to see Anna at the top of the stairs. "When she said I was the father of your child. Was that true?"

Anna held herself higher. "Yes it was. You can come and meet him tomorrow if you want."

"I might."

"Just call first. That way I know he won't be napping." Anna opened her mouth as if to say something else before descending the steps and walking away.

John flipped the card in his fingers until someone snatched it free. He flailed for it but Charles stepped out of his way. "They're staying at a nice place."

"Must be what the widows of dead gangster bankers can afford." John pouted in his chair and grabbed the card the moment Charles's fingers went slack. "Like you didn't look her up too."

"I'll admit, I did look her up once because I was curious about the woman you kept drawing." Charles took a seat on the sofa, avoiding the indentations where Anna had just been. "But I got my information from Mary and Henry. They're a veritable well of it."

"They tell you how she and I were going to be very serious about one another until she turned tail and ran for it? Ran with the man who got her kidnapped and almost killed?"

"They mentioned it a little differently." Charles pursed his lips. "The way they explained it, granted I'm hearing this third hand since Henry got it from someone named Barrow-"

John perked up at that as Charles continued. "Mrs. Verdant's deceased husband manipulated her into the relationship after threatening the life of someone she held dear. She went with him to keep this unnamed individual safe."

"And you believed that?"

"I didn't have a reason to doubt them." Charles slapped his hands to his knees and pushed himself to stand. "Maybe we're all looking at it a bit backwards."

"Bass-awkwards." John murmured and then waved Charles off when he frowned at the statement. "Don't worry about it."

"I won't if you are." Charles motioned toward the book. "You'd better get home. We've got a busy week ahead of us."

"Right." John grabbed the book and tucked it close to his body. "I'll be ready."

"I doubt it but I like the enthusiasm." Charles shook his head and left.

John followed him soon after but instead of going home, he gave the cab driver the card for the hotel. His fingers drummed and stroked the book all the way to the hotel and then fumbled the exact change to the driver before overpaying him by at least a tenner. The cab sped off the moment John was out of it, still clutching the book close to his chest, and he entered the lobby of the building.

His fingers worried the card and it almost slipped from his hand. As he went to recover it, he noticed a room number inscribed on the back and avoided the front desk for the lifts. The tremor in his finger grew more pronounced as he hit the button. It lit up in silence, leaving his rushing heart beating in his chest, And the opening of the doors almost gave him a heart attack.

The floor itself was nothing special but John had to clench his hands into fists to get them to stop shaking enough to knock her door. Otherwise it would have thumped into the room with all the grace of a machine gun. But even the gentle knock rang impossibly loud in his ears. Like the whole world cranked to eleven.

When the door opened a thousand and one thoughts raced through John's head until it blanked. He swallowed hard enough to send his Adam's apple bumping his collar and said, "I've only been able to draw you. I can't get you out of my mind and I haven't for four years and I don't think I want to."

Anna's hand on the door slid down a little, "You don't think you ever want to?"

"I know it." John nodded, "I know that all the pain of the last four years, of whatever's happened… It's all nothing. Not when I've got you standing here, in front of me, and the universe's bent over backward to give me another chance to be with you forever."

For a moment John feared Anna might close the door on him. But in the next moment she pulled him over the threshold by his waistcoat and the slam of the door was barely a thought in his head. The only thought was Anna's hands on him and her lips meeting his.

It had been an eternity. It had been a moment. It had been far too long. It had not been long enough. It…

John broke the kiss, setting his forehead against hers a moment, and tried to breathe. "We're going about this all wrong."

"No." Anna's hands slid over his neck and down his chest. "We're doing it the way we've always done it. Out of order, hurried, and full of passion but very little sense. We're… We're doing it the way _we_ do it John."

She raised her head to let their eyes meet. "You're not the only one who's missed what we had. Or the only one who could only think of someone they were supposed to have lost and left."

"But you had something I didn't." John tried to clear his throat, "Is he here?"

"No, he's with Gwen for the evening." Anna put a careful hand on John's cheek. "But you can meet him tomorrow."

"Does… Does he know?"

Anna shook her head, "Not yet but, then again, he's only three and a half. He's not conscious of any of it."

"You'd be surprised."

"I already am." Anna let her fingers run over his skin. "I never thought I'd ever get to see you again. I thought I'd have to live with my decision and realize that I should've trusted you more."

John caught her hand and kissed her palm. "I should've trusted you'd have a good reason."

"I didn't, not either time I sent you away. Not really." Anna closed her eyes and put her forehead on his chest. "Could you ever forgive me?"

"I forgave you the moment I saw you." John whispered against her hair, "That's what broke my heart more. That I couldn't bear to be angry at you the minute I thought you might be back in my life."

"I'm back." Anna hugged around him before sliding her hands around to flick the buttons of his waistcoat open. "And since both of our demons are buried, there'll be no reason to leave you ever again."

"Did you…" John brushed hair from her face, "Did you really do it to save my life? Give yourself up to him?"

Anna nodded, "It was the only way I knew how. And then, when I found out I was pregnant, I was too scared that it might be his that I… I never checked."

"Then who-"

"Mary."

"Ah," John nodded, "Of course it was Mary."

"It's always Mary."

"It's only ever been you for me." John finally took notice of her dress and smiled. "Did you wear this for me?"

"You liked it so much at the lodge and my trainer got me fit enough to wear it so I decided, why not?" Anna gave a slow turn. "And I've not had a good enough reason to get fancy for something in a long time."

"We'll find a lot of reasons to get fancy together." John dipped his head to kiss under her jaw and up toward her ear while his hands mapped the exposed expanse of her back. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." Her arm when around his shoulders, holding him tightly to her and arching into his touch. "I love you John. I never stopped and I'm never going to."

"Never?"

"Never," Anna pushed on his chest to make sure they could only look at one another. "I'll love you however, wherever, and whenever."

"So will I." John carefully cupped her face between his hands. "Because I plan to love you until the end of time itself."

Anna surged up and crushed their lips together so fast John stumbled. His hand flew out to catch them on the wall before her back hit it but Anna did not seem to mind in the least. The satin of her gown ran up his leg as her knee hooked over his hip and dragged him closer.

As she slid her leg up, her heel knocked against his prosthetic and they both paused. John's breath caught in his throat but Anna's smile and her other arm looping up to hold her hands behind his neck encouraged him closer. "I forgot about that part of you."

"Sometimes I forget too." John confessed, kissing over Anna's eyes and face. "It never quite worked right after our week at that lodge."

"Sure it wasn't because of those nights you spent in the rain looking for your butterfly?" Anna kissed him back when he reached her lips again, running her tongue over his lip until John opened to her so they could taste one another.

"Maybe it was a combination of things." John buried a groan in her neck when her leg rose high enough to rub herself over the front of his trousers. "But I found my butterfly, thank you very much."

"Where?" Anna drew back and John ran his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Right here."

They did not speak after that.

It was all rather fast. It was all rather them. And it was all rather an adventure to see how they could manipulate their clothing and themselves to fit together right there in the little entryway of her hotel room.

The satin of Anna's dress ran over his fingers like water and John had about as difficult a time holding that firmly as he did trying to keep water in his hand. Her hands offered him no aid as they opened his waistcoat, his shirt, and his trousers to run over him. With each touch of her hands John found himself sighing and writhing to try and comprehend the heaven of her fingers.

He finally found the skin of her legs and smoothed over it as if sculpting her from scratch. Every inch of skin begged for his touch but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. To realize they now had forever to reacquaint themselves and they would not be suffering for opportunities now. From this day until their last days, they would know one another.

Weight from that thought almost buried him but the teasing graze of Anna's nails against his erection and John's fingers finally tugging her knickers to the side to feel her had them both moaning. Their lips met to try and communicate their necessities but their bodies knew better than their brains. All they could do was wrap around one another and work closer until John finally thrust forward.

They held there. The shock of the moment coming real to them. Their eyes met as whatever niggling doubts about their positions or the temporary temptation to accept this as a fever dream wiped clean away. There was nothing more real to either of them then their bodies together in that moment.

Until John moved.

Anna's leg rose higher, her feet practically on her tiptoes in the shoes already giving her the height she needed to take him inside, and John dipped his hand to catch her thigh. He lifted her and silently expressed his gratitude for an open shirt that allowed him to move as he wished. And what he wished was to hold Anna's legs wide and drive into her.

For a moment he considered the bestiality of the motion but when he went to slow, Anna's nails dug into his shoulder and arm. "Don't you dare."

"But it's-"

"Perfect." Anna keened as John ground against her, "Just perfect. Please go faster. I need it faster."

John bent his head, sucking red marks over Anna's exposed shoulder while his fingers dug into her thighs to keep her spread enough to allow him to bottom out inside her. Her nails gouged into the fabric of his shirt and she abandoned her attempt to kiss him for deep gasps of air. Gasps that turned to moans when John adjusted his angle to press and rub against her clit on each deep thrust.

They shifted and moved and pushed until Anna cried out. There was nothing else John could do but bask in the sound his memory painted so vividly and yet so imperfectly. And when he finally came, no force on earth could stop the tears of joy that trickled down his face.

Anna held him close, the two of them sliding together against the wall to find their balance, and stroked through his hair as they separated. She speared her hand through his hair to force it back from his forehead. Their eyes met and John hurried to explain himself but Anna put a finger over his mouth.

"I know." She kissed the tracks on his cheeks. "I know."

Her fingers intertwined with his and she dragged him across the room. The swish of her skirt rasped against the carpet and John could not stop himself. He pressed close to her from behind, holding her close to his bare chest to feel the heat of her. To know she was as real to him as he was to her.

Anna said nothing, just leaned back into him and laid her hands over his at her waist. But then she skated his hands over her torso to cup her breasts in his hands. At first she guided his motions, aiding his muscle memory in the delicate caress of her body, but soon Anna arched her back to give herself over to the sensual pleasure of his touch. A touch John increased when he slipped one and then the other hand into the straps of her dress.

"I remember you can't wear a bra with this dress." John whispered in her ear before skating his lips down her neck toward her bare back. "Otherwise this would all be covered up."

"You could always uncover it."

"Patience." John's hands glided from the interior of her dress to skate down her skirt. "I know what I'm doing."

"I know." Anna sighed and then gasped when John kissed to the very edge of her dress. "Please keep going."

John's hands worked her dress up so slowly that she barely shivered when he could finally kiss her skin. But when he ran his tongue over her knickers, Anna's fingers sought a solid surface in his hair. And only dug deeper when he moved his tongue over her exposed skin.

His fingers tugged her knickers out of the way, dragging them along her skin until she stepped out of them. Anna's legs spread slightly but John stood up and pivoted them both to the bed. Before she could question him, John laid Anna out on the bed with her legs pulling the dress tight in their spread. He waited until her eyes stayed on him and then slowly removed his clothes.

She let out a sigh at the sight of him as John stalked toward the bed. Their lips met when Anna rose up on her arms but John's hands continued to caress her through her dress. Even her urgings to let her remove it had him kissing her harder and dragging the dress to her waist. It runched there as John kissed over the skin already exposed by the dress to reach her exposed center.

A center he took great pleasure in lavishing with kisses and licks until Anna moaned so loudly the neighbors on either side were bound to hear them. But John wanted to hear her sounds again and maneuvered her legs slightly farther apart so he could suck tightly at her clit. She bucked against him and wove her fingers to tangle in his hair again as if she could guide his motions. But with each touch of his tongue to her, Anna's hands lost their focus.

The taste of her overwhelmed John and he lost himself in tracing every evidence of it. Every bit of her was his to know again and he intended to. To know it so well he would never forget again.

Scraping his tongue through her folds and then curling it around her clit to suck, Anna came. Her back arched and John eased a finger inside her to take the sensation of her clutching walls while prolonging her pleasure. Keeping her high until her body trembled and quivered. Then he guided her down.

Her hands, finding their strength again, kneaded the flesh of his shoulders to drag his lips to hers. Their tongues traded their flavors until Anna's knee found John's hip again. This time, when her heel knocked his prosthetic, John leaned into the motion. She groaned into his mouth and John drove forward again.

This time they moved slowly. They savored one another and sank together until John was sure they might tumble into oblivion and never return. His end came sooner than hers but they laid together in the aftermath. Her fingers brushed through his hair and he let his fingers dance over her arm.

"I've never had someone keep me almost fully dressed before." Anna raised a leg, her heel still firmly attached.

"I thought it was a nice reversal."

"Me too." Anna kissed him again and sighed. "But I'm going to need a bath. I've not been this… active, in a awhile and I'd rather not have to hide being sore from two women who'll take the mickey out of me for it."

"Do you think they expected it to go differently?"

"I just know they'll want the credit for it." Anna sat up, "You're welcome to join me. The bath's big enough."

"But does it have the jets like the ones at the lodge?"

Anna grinned, "It certainly does."

They helped Anna from her dress and then hurried to the bathroom. It filled with steam as water thundered into the tub. John lowered himself carefully into the tub, his prosthetic on a raised ledge to keep it dry, and Anna climbed in front of him. They lay together, her head on his shoulder, and relaxed in the hot water.

But John could not keep his hands still. They started with a gentle massage at Anna's shoulders, running down to her arms until she sagged against him with sighs and exhales of the supremely relaxed. So relaxed that she barely reacted to his fingers at her breasts or between her legs.

"You're trying to do something sneaky." She murmured, turning her head to kiss at his neck.

"Only if you want to."

"We've got a lot of time to catch up on." Anna maneuvered closer to him, giving herself over to his motions. "Do as you will."

John opened her, followed her reactions, and held her at the edge when she bucked toward him. The ripples in the water fluctuated but John never drove them high enough to send any water over the edge of the tub as the steady jets beat against his back. He shifted against her and Anna opened her legs around his.

Even more slowly than in the bedroom, John thrust inside her. The gentle flow of the water set their rhythm and both endeavors for slow, easy motions that kept the water in the tub. It lapped at the sides with all the energy of two people holding one another close until John released with a grunt. His fingers, meeting hers, helped Anna give her own little cry.

But Anna, for all her laziness, was not finished. John marveled at her energy, still waters running deeply, when she turned in the tub. Her hands shifted in the water a second and John almost taunted her with a hand to her ass but her tug on the drain distracted him. The water flowing away almost had him moving from the tub but she plugged it a moment later and turned to him.

"My turn."

And she took her task seriously. Her hands ran over him, memorizing and tantalizing him with their dedication. It was like being studied for a sculpture or a painting but someone who wanted to draw from the very bones up to the surface. With each sweep of her hands John relaxed and eased to goo.

Until her hand rested on his arousal. An arousal he could not possibly have at his age or after so many. But one that existed because miracles came true and his biggest miracle was the one bringing him to life again. She only grinned and continued until his knuckles went white holding the side of the tub.

Her mount was flawless. The scorching slide of her as wonderfully overwhelming as it always was. And her gyrating motions before his hands settled at her hips to piston into her, addicting and hypnotizing. Everything about her was hypnotizing and addicting.

They came quickly, collapsing on one another in the chilling water, and John forced himself to drain the tub. Between the two of them they managed the towels and Anna offered him her shoulders instead of wrestling into his prosthetic when his skin still shone with water dampness. And they managed to get him to the bed so Anna could take her place at his side.

In the dark they whispered to one another. Little things they experienced over their years apart. Small moments of joy they found so far away from one another. The pains they bore alone and now together. And then they shared the silence.

Sometime before dawn, Anna's mouth engulfed him. John's fingers tried to tease her away from him with kneading motions at her breasts or a slick flick through her folds. But it took him entering her for any kind of motion to stutter. She met his eyes and they watched one another as Anna groaned around him and wrapped her tongue like she wanted to steal the towering ice cream off a cone.

But when they both heaved for breath, huffing at their desire to reach the peak the other dangled before them, Anna let him go and John removed his fingers. Her hands on his chest kept him in place and she straddled him proficiently. Then, without another word, she sank down on him.

The snap of their hips, the hitches in their breathing, the occasional squeak of the bed were the only noises that troubled them. John's fingers found their places at her hips and he jerked his hips to rut into her as best he could from his position but it was the bounce and glide of Anna that brought them both closer and closer to the edge. So close that they toppled over it together.

Utterly spent and wonderfully sated, they dozed together before sleeping wrapped in the safety of the other's arms.

* * *

Anna held Jack close as John stood up from the sofa. The boy clung to Anna and she rubbed her hand over his back. "This is John. Remember what I told you about him?"

"He's your friend."

"He's your Daddy."

"What about Daddy?"

"He's passed away, remember?" Anna shrugged at John but he shook his head. "And this is your Daddy."

"Daddy now?"

"No-"

"Yes." John hurried and extended a hand toward Jack but kept his distance. "I'm your new Daddy, if that's alright."

"I don't have another Daddy." Jack frowned as his young mind tried to wrap around it. "You're new Daddy?"

"Yes."

Jack still buried his head in Anna's neck to hide his face from John. He sighed, raising a hand and Anna stepped forward to put it on Jack's back. "He'll be fine."

"It's a lot for a child to understand."

"It took him a long time to accept that Alex wasn't home anymore." Anna shook her head, "He didn't understand the funeral at all."

"I'm sorry." John cringed and then pointed around the house. "If you want I could give you a tour of the place. Since you're all staying here now."

"I'd better put him down for a nap, actually." Anna grabbed John's hand when he went to turn away. "Come with me."

"I don't want to impose."

"He's your son John. It's not an imposition." Anna shrugged her shoulders, "Besides, if we're going to stay here we should all feel comfortable in the home together."

"You're serious? You want to stay here?"

"It's not like my place in Miami has the best of memories." Anna took the stairs slowly as Jack's breathing eased against her shoulder. "I got a good price for it and I'm walking away with more money than I know what to do with. This is the best option for us."

"But you're so far from-"

"Home?" Anna stopped at the top of the stairs to take John's hand with her free one. "Wherever you are, wherever he is, that's home to me."

John kissed Anna's hand, "Then lead the way."

They put Jack down between the two of them, the boy curling himself up with a blanket in moments. Anna watched him for a moment and then watched John. A few tears slid down her cheeks as she caught the expressions flitting across his face.

He raised his head and immediately moved to her. Anna put her finger over her mouth and, setting the baby monitor, left the room with John in tow. When he went to take her into his arms, Anna shook her head.

"It's not like that."

"What is it?"

"It's… It's complicated." Anna waved her hand toward the door. "Because of me you didn't get to raise him. We've missed so much time together."

"The missing is over now." John put his hands carefully on Anna's cheeks and kissed her forehead. "And I won't miss anything else."

"The way you watched him…" Anna shrugged, "I just wish you'd seen all this sooner. Seen your son sooner."

"It's alright now." John took a breath and then held out a hand, "I want you to see something."

"What?"

"It's a surprise." John put a hand over her eyes and guided her down the hallway to one of the larger rooms on the second floor. There was a door and then another one before John finally stopped. "Ready?"

"I think so."

"Here it is." John removed his hand and Anna used hers to cover her mouth.

Dozens of paintings of her covered the walls. Half-finished, abandoned, completely painted, sketched, and others with only vague figures over them. She walked past scribbles and sketches over programs and bits of paper that all resembled her. The itching of John's hands that kept her close to his thoughts for so long. All evidences of his devotion.

"Over and over for four years." Anna turned over her shoulder to watch him shove his hands into his pockets. "Charles called it my secret obsession."

"You showed these to Charles Blake?"

"No," John shook his head and then pointed to the scribbles. "But he saw me draw those in enough meetings. He didn't know what they meant and said I should be doing portraits or nudes but I refused."

"Because you didn't want to?"

"Because I only ever wanted to paint you."

Anna paused, folding her arms over her chest. "I did you a serious wrong John, and I hope you can forgive me."

"Anna." He took her hands in his and then kissed the knuckles on each. "I told you. I already forgave you. I love you and nothing else matters."

"No," Anna kissed his hands back. "I guess it doesn't."

"Although," John cringed. "This is a bit obsessive."

"It's like a fix of me." Anna's fingers brushed John's as they left his hold so she could trail her fingers delicately over a painting. "These are lovely."

"They're some of my best work. The ones I finished, anyway."

"They're not like the one you left for me." Anna came back to John. "The one of me in the rain."

"I agree." John motioned to the paintings around him. "These were the memories I clung to when I didn't have you. That was the result of my love for you."

"I see the difference." Anna sighed, "They all make me look lovely."

"Anna," John took her in his hold. "You are lovely."

"Perhaps." Anna maneuvered in his hold, "In these I'm a goddess."

"Then let me treat you the way a goddess should be treated." John's lips met the skin of her throat and Anna sighed. "With adoring affection. With loving adoration. With devoted detail in everything I do."

And he did.

Each touch was a brushstroke, as if he could paint her arousal. The hot flush to her cheeks and the swell of her folds told her he could. Especially when his fingers delved so carefully inside her. Or his mouth played over her on the floor of his studio. Or as he brought her to orgasm twice between his fingers and mouth before he finally joined them. Joined them in his temple of devotion to her.

They wrapped up in one another, a tangle of limbs and clothes on the floor, and Anna drew her fingers over his chest. John caught her left hand and held securely when Anna went to pull away. She clicked her tongue at him but John's response was to slide a metal band over her ring finger.

Anna sat up in a flash, staring at the band. John sat up as well, "I know it's sudden but it felt like the right moment and-"

Her lips stopped him talking and held until he finally relaxed under her. She broke away, her face breaking with the strength of the beaming smile there. "I hope you're actually going to ask me and not make me wait."

"Anna Smith, will you marry me?" John took her left hand in both of his. "Marry me and I promise to make you happier than we could ever be on our own. I promise to be a good father to our son. And I promise to give you the kind of home where you can feel at peace forever. A place all our own."

"What place?"

John grinned, "Trust me, you already love it."

And she did. She loved being married in their home as John drove them a mile into the jungle to the lodge. She loved having her friends and family around them as John put the other ring on her finger to bind them as man and wife. And she loved holding him close as they kissed with her new last name.

Later, when they snuck away from the party, John guided her into the jungle. Deep in the trees and under the gentle pattering of rain, John showed her a secret little place. A place he found after her left so many years ago.

"It was here all the time." John had them crouch down. "It took me dropping that biography to finally recognize the scene Gillespie painted to realize where it was. And then I just trekked out here to find it."

"Find what?"

"The Night Butterfly."

Before Anna could speak, she saw it. The iridescent, almost luminescent, flapping of a small blue butterfly. And then another and another until the little clearing filled with them. She barely breathed as they took in the darkness and the rain to fly around them.

"They were here the whole time and now, since we own the property, we'll keep them safe." John took her hand and Anna turned to him. "This is our home Anna. Ours and Jack's and whomever else happens to come along."

"I want to get started on that right away."

And so Anna kissed him. And pulled him over her. And moved with him in the rain, the growing dark and the swarm of butterflies. Their guardians through all the storms that lay ahead.


End file.
